Atletico Madrid beat Marseille 2-1 in a club friendly on Thursday. The match ended 15:30 local time in Marseille's stadium. It was the kind of result that matters more for the pattern of play than the points.
I. Paixao gave Marseille the lead in the twenty-second minute. Atletico responded quickly. R. Mendoza equalised three minutes later, and the visitors changed shape at the break. By then they had already brought on Lee Kang-In to add urgency.
Marseille dominated possession at 62 per cent but struggled to convert. They recorded six shots on target with fifty-five per cent accuracy, compared to Atletico's two on target at thirty-three per cent. The hosts had nine corners to one. And here's the thing — they created just one big chance while Atletico made three.
The turning point came in the seventy-eighth minute when C. Martin scored to put Atletico ahead. Marseille pushed for an equaliser but could not break through. The visitors kept their side in it with twenty-one successful tackles against eight.
Atletico's expected goals stood at 1.46 to Marseille's 0.83. They made fifty-one attacks to the hosts' one hundred and twelve. The goalkeeper saved five shots while not having to make a single save for Marseille. The result leaves Atletico with momentum after their recent heavy defeat to Manchester City.