Chelsea secured the biggest result of Thomas Tuchel’s tenure on Tuesday night
Chelsea stunned Atletico Madrid at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest on Tuesday night, and the Spanish press have hailed a significant win for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
The German extended his unbeaten run to eight matches since taking over from Frank Lampard in January, but this was by some distance his most impressive result so far.
Top of La Liga by three points with a game in hand on second-placed Real Madrid, Atletico were widely expected to see off a Chelsea side sitting outside the Champions League places in England.
That wasn’t to be the case, with an excellent performance from the away side being rewarded 22 minutes from time by a magnificent overhead kick from Olivier Giroud.
It finished 1-0 to Tuchel’s men, with the return leg to be played on March 17.
Here’s how the Spanish press reacted to a superb night for the Blues.
Mundo Deportivo – ‘Chelsea had a clear slogan’
Praising Giroud’s “beautiful” goal, Mundo Deportivo’s match report said: “The English team made virtue of its speed.”
They commended Chelsea on winning the midfield battle, where “(Callum) Hudson-Odoi and (Mason) Mount prevailed.”
Suggesting that Chelsea have been “revitalised” under Tuchel, they noted that the visitors “pressed with intensity”.
In a look at Chelsea’s physical approach to the game, they said: “The English team was much more intense than the Spanish in divided balls, taking almost all the second plays.”
Tuchel’s men “had a clear slogan not to let Atlético play”, and “as soon as the Madrid team recovered a ball and the attack began, the ‘blues’ quickly and systematically cut the attack with a foul.”
Sport – ‘A Giroud masterpiece’
Noting Atletico’s defensive approach, Sport said: “Chelsea accepted the challenge, getting fed up with the ball approaching 70% of their dominance.”
With “long London possessions” preventing Diego Simeone’s team from getting out of their own half, the two sides served up a “real chess game”.
The breakthrough came “in the least expected way but the most beautiful possible”. Sport’s headline was even more effusive, reading: “A Giroud masterpiece punishes Atlético’s squalor.”
Marca – ‘What a forward!’
In their match report, Marca noted that the draw had initially seemed favourable for Atletico, but that “Months later the blues have changed the face of the season with the arrival of Tuchel and the rojiblancos urgently need to reset their ideas.”
They alluded to the criticism that has followed Giroud in recent years, saying: “His lack of goal has haunted him his entire career. But what a forward!”
In their tactical breakdown, Marca discussed Chelsea’s superior possession, saying: “It had been Chelsea, who has no problem chewing the play for as long as necessary, waiting for Jorginho to take out the periscope, and in any case he was more incisive in the right area of his attack, in the one Hudson-Odoi and Mount sought to associate with.”
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