Morata strikes twice as Atletico beat Feyenoord in five-goal thriller
Despite missing 10-goal danger man Santiago Gimenez through suspension, Feyenoord immediately went on the offensive at the Metropolitano Stadium, and the visitors were rewarded for their early pressure in a remarkable first half.
It was Gimenez’s replacement, Ayase Ueda, who looked to have notched the game’s opener after a darting run in behind, but a closer inspection showed Mario Hermoso getting the final touch, and the unfortunate Spaniard was consequently credited with an own goal.
A slow starting Atleti were in desperate need of a shot in the arm, and before long, Morata was there to provide it, coming out on the right side of a dubious offside call and slotting past Timon Wellenreuther.
With chances flowing for both sides in a frantic opening half an hour, Feyenoord found themselves back in front when defender David Hancko tapped in his own rebound, but there was still time for the pendulum to swing the hosts’ way once more.
And it was no surprise to see Antoine Griezmann take the bull by the horns, as the Rojiblancos veteran sent an improvised, close-range bicycle kick looping into the net on the stroke of half-time.
The pace of the contest picked up where it left off after the break, and the hosts waited less than two minutes after the restart to take the lead for the first time.
Morata timed his run to perfection and found the bottom corner, but Nahuel Molina’s sumptuous early cross was the decisive moment of quality that had Diego Simeone jumping for joy.
On a night which saw the defeated team enhance their reputation, Arne Slot’s Feyenoord threw caution to the wind until the final whistle, as Igor Paixao’s right-footed rocket missed the crossbar by inches and Jan Oblak smothered a glorious opportunity for substitute Yankuba Minteh.
It was by no means straightforward, but Atleti successfully protected their unbeaten home record stretching back to January.
A trip to Celtic awaits in three weeks’ time, while Lazio at home is the next UCL assignment for Feyenoord, who are still in a healthy position to fight for the knockout rounds after winning their group stage opener.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid)
