PSG 4–0 Atletico Madrid Player Ratings: Vitinha Rated 8.5/10 as PSG Thrash Atletico in Their Club World Cup Opener

PSG face off against Atletico Madrid at the elegant Rose Bowl for the first round of the FIFA Club World Cup, where PSG emerged victorious. The game began without much vigor, and the initial ten minutes were pretty much boring to watch. However, after the ten-minute mark, it felt like PSG had gotten an extra motivation from somewhere. From that moment, they were seen dominating the match in every possible aspect. Madrid was struggling to both attack and defend, and the opponents were making a mockery out of them.

PSG pressed, forced errors, and ultimately scored two goals in the first half. The first goal came from the services of Fabian Ruiz. Doue made a move in the attacking third and made a pass to Kvaratskhelia, who in turn gave a pass to Ruiz outside the box, who in turn took a powerful shot to find the back of the net. In the dying minutes of the first half, Kvaratskhelia once again found space in the opponent's backline and gave a solid pass to Vitinha, who converted easily to double their delight.

In the second half, though PSG continued to attack, the opponent's defence was a bit stronger. However, as time progressed, Clement Lenglet got his second booking and was sent off by the referee, which again added imbalance to the Madrid backline, and this was properly countered by Mayulu, who scored the third goal of the match, sealing the deal for PSG. Adding to the drama, Madrid conceded a penalty in the final minute, which was scored by Vitinha, adding the nail in the coffin with the match ending 4-0 in favor of PSG. Here are the PSG vs Atletico Madrid Player Ratings.

PSG Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6/10

Had nothing much to do in the first half, apart from making some routine clearances and saves. His tactical presence of mind to play the ball quickly laid the foundation for the second goal.

Defenders

Nuno Mendes - 7/10

Was the man to deliver the most of the set-pieces. Had a great say in resisting Alvarez from making his moves in the first half. Read the ball, timed the tackles and kept the ball away.

Willian Pacho - 6.5/10

Played more of a DMF role rather than a centre back. Had a great passing accuracy and won a good share of duels he was involved in. Did not have much load in the defence as the opponents rarely attacked.

Marquinhos - 6.8/10

Stood as a great cover to keep Griezmann silent for the vast majority of the match. Was the source of a large propotion of the long balls that came from the defensive half.

Achraf Hakimi - 7/10

Mounted the attacks by moving forward in the right wing. Had some good positioning and was there in the key positions whenever the team required him.

Midfielders

João Neves - 6.5/10

He was seen almost everywhere on the ground and made some very important contributions. Though his stats were not great in comparison to his fellow teammates, his presence helped the team create multiple chances.

Vitinha - 8.5/10

Was solid in the midfield, winning back possession and providing some key passes inside the box. Scored the second goal of the match, giving PSG total command of the game. Covered almost every blade of grass and was essentially the playmaker. Scored the final goal.

Fabian Ruiz - 7/10

Made some moves on the left flank in the initial minutes. Kept the pressing high and regained possession multiple times. Drew the first blood by taking a brilliant strike from outside the box to the edge of the goal.

Forwards

Desire Doue - 7/10

Made some good crosses from the right byline that added some pressure on the opponents. Made some confusion inside the box and provided the pre-assist for the first goal.

Goncalo Ramos - 6/10

He was decent in the match. Attempted a few shots on target, which ultimately did not find the back of the net. He was the first player from his side to be subbed off.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 8/10

Took multiple players off in the wings and made some good runs. Had a great presence of mind and provided the assist for both the goals after carefully finding unmarked teammates and making timely passes to them. In the second half, he took a shot which hit the crossbar and kept him away from scoring.

Substitutes

Senny Mayulu - 7/10

Scored the third goal, which sealed the match for PSG.

Kang-In Lee- 6/10

Warren Zaire-Emery - 6/10

Lucas Hernandez - NA

Ibrahim Mbaye - NA

Manager

Luis Enrique - 8/10

Had a great sheer display of dominance over the team, which is arguably the biggest challenger for PSG in the group. Deployed his tactics, and his players properly executed them. Had the final laugh and would have a sense of relief, and this win would be a confidence booster for the gaffer.

Atletico Madrid Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Jan Oblak - 6/10

Was tested in multiple instances, and the player properly did his business. Could have done nothing to stop the goal. However, the player held hands to whatever he could have stopped.

Defenders

Javi Galan - 5.5/10

He was average in the match. Had just a satisfactory passing accuracy and a very small proportion of duels won. Was subbed off due to an inability to defend well.

Clement Lenglet - 5/10

He was terrible in the first half. He was booked in the very early minutes of the match as a result of a rash foul. Later on, the player left a lot of gaps in the defence, which were punished by the opponents. In the second half, a bad decision led to the player getting a red card.

Robin Le Normand - 5.2/10

Had zero communication and coordination with his fellow centre back. As the former, the player was also booked in the first half. Left miles of free space in the backline, which backfired.

Marcos Llorente - 6/10

Did some good defending to dispossess Kvaratskhelia whenever he tried to create trouble in the box. He was relatively the only positive seen in the Madrid backline.

Midfielders

Samuel Lino - 6.2/10

He was pretty decent in the midfield. Won almost all the duels he was involved in. Made some tackles and did well. However was subbed off just after the first half.

Pablo Barrios - 5.8/10

Had almost zero contributions throughout the match. He wasn't able to win even one duel. Even though the player attempted to make some dribbles, he was unsuccessful. Had a bad day in the office, in essence.

Rodrigo de Paul - 6/10

He was good in the defence, winning both aerial and ground duels and helping his team to win back the ball. Had a good passing accuracy and also made some appearances in defense. However, the player also lost possession multiple times as a result of the opponent's pressing.

Giuliano Simeone - 5.8/10

Had a day that the player would like to forget. Got booked for an unnecessary move. He was having bad stats in all the aspects he was involved. Was subbed off in the second half.

Forward

Julian Alvarez - 6/10

Struck a good free kick which nearly found the goal. The player, though, was seen trying to make runs with the ball, but was eventually stopped by the PSG backline.

Antoine Griezmann - 6/10

He was kept quiet for the entire first half by the opponents. Took a shot in the stoppage time of the first half, which was ultimately saved.

Substitutes

Koke - 6/10

When Alvarez scored a goal, the foul made by the player was the reason it was ruled out.

Angel Correa - 5/10

Came in the second half and was booked by the referee with almost 15 seconds, which limited the play of the fresh leg.

Reinildo Mandava - 5/10

Like the former, the player was booked just a couple of minutes after entering the pitch.

Conor Galleghar - 6/10

Alexander Sorloth - 5/10

Made an unbelievable miss which was a sure shot goal nine out of ten times.

Manager

Diego Simeone - 5/10

Had a terrible day where his team entirely struggled. Was bad at almost every stat of the game. The carelessness and the aggressiveness of the players led to them being booked which further troubled the gaffer in the match. Have to regroup and focus well on the next match.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match is Vitinha.