Seattle Sounders 1-3 Atletico Madrid Player Ratings: Pablo Barrios Rated 9.1/10 As Diego Simeone's Side Secures 1st Win in Club World Cup

Atletico Madrid secured their first victory in the FIFA Club World Cup after a dominant display against MLS side Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field on Thursday. The game ended 1-3 after a tremendous performance from the La Liga giants, after Pablo Barrios's and Axel Witsel's strikes in the early minutes of the second half. Albert Rusnak pulled one back for the Sounders, instilling hope for a comeback but it was not realistic considering their opposition's strength and quality.

The match started with one-way traffic as Atletico looked to gain their first victory in the FIFA Club World Cup after they were thrashed 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain last week. It was in the 11th minute that Pablo Barrios opened the scoring for Diego Simeone's side after Alexander Sorloth's intruding pass found Giuliano Simeone with acres of space, who then centred it for the Spanish midfielder for a right-footed shot, which hit the crossbar and ended up behind the goalkeeper, Frei. Simone's side continued to force errors with their pressure as Julian Alvarez and Sorloth got multiple opportunities but failed to capitalize on them. Brian Schmetzer's side tried hitting the Rojiblancos on the break through Musovski, but were not able to come up with something that could challenge Jan Oblak between the posts.

The second half started with an impressive shot from Marcos Llorente, which hit the post, and then substitute Axel Witsel steered it home with a simple header to double the scoring for Atletico Madrid. Seattle Sounders FC showed an immediate response to the goal after Albert Rusnak's shot from the centre of the penalty box beat Jan Oblak to pull one back for the MLS side. Soon after, Simeone's side extended their lead after Llorente's long throw was not dealt with suitably as it hit the head of Jon Bell and reached Pablo Barrios, who completed his brace around the 55th minute. Seattle Sounders started to get a grasp of the game as Simeone's side looked to see out the game sitting deep, but were not able to stage a comeback.

Here are the Seattle Sounders FC vs Atletico Madrid Player Ratings:

Seattle Sounders Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Stefan Frei: 6.2/10

The 39-year-old shot stopper made four saves in the game but conceded three goals. He should consider himself lucky that the number stuck to three despite Atletico getting so many opportunities to extend the scoreline.

Defenders

Kalani Rienzi: 6.4/10

The right back had an average game as he had to defend and did not get many opportunities to go up the pitch for attacks.

Jon Bell: 5.6/10

The defender was nervous at times, failing to deal with pressure. His mistake led to the second goal for Barrios in the second half.

Jackson Regen: 6.1/10

The centre-back succeeded in somewhat dealing with the strikers, but the midfielders had their chances and scored past his team. He made five recoveries and three clearances for his side.

Reed Baker-Whiting: 6.4/10

The USMNT defender had to deal with a lot of pressure in the first half as he lost eight duels in the game. He maintained a somewhat good passing accuracy and made nine recoveries for his side.

Midfielders

Cristiano Roldan: 6.3/10

He played an average game, as he had to focus more on defense with Atletico pressuring his side from the starting whistle.

Obed Vargas: 6.0/10

Had a normal game, as he looked bright in the second half, creating a number of attacking chances for his side.

Albert Rusnak: 7.6/10

The brightest player on the pitch for Seattle Sounders as he pulled one back, giving the fans hope for a comeback, which never looked realistic.

Attackers

Pedro De la Vega: 6.3/10

The Argentinian right winger showed some spark in the first half, but Atletico's pressure was too much for him to deal with as Atletico Madrid continued their domination.

Paul Rothrock: 6.1/10

Did not have a great game, as his passing was awful, which made his side lose the ball high up the pitch, and the Spanish team could build up easily in their half to launch attack after attack.

Danny Musovski: 6.2/10

The player did get a very handful of chances to score against Jan Oblak, who every time stood tall, proving why he ranks among the best La Liga goalkeepers of all time.

Substitutes

Jesus Ferreira: 5.9/10

The forward came on to replace Danny Musovski around the 60th minute of the game.

Ryan Kent: 6.0/10

The 28-year-old English international was substituted for Pedro De la Vega.

Alex Roldan: 6.0/10

The 28-year-old right back came on to replace Paul Rothrock around the 66th minute of the game.

João Paulo: N/A.

Georgi Minoungou- N/A.

Manager

Brian Schmetzer: 5.8/10

His side was not able to deal with the Atletico's pressure as they stumbled onto their second defeat in the tournament.

Atletico Madrid Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Jan Oblak: 7.0/10

The Slovenian goalkeeper did not have much to deal with in the first half as his side controlled the game well. He made three saves in the game, mostly in the second half.

Defenders

Javi Galan: 7.9/10

The left back had a good game contributing in attack as well as defence. He had the most tackles by any player in the game and was made four recoveries for his side.

Robin le Normand: 7.0/10

The Spanish defender had a strong game at the heart of the defence and also assisted a goal for his side.

Jose Gimenez: 7.0/10

The Uruguayan defender had a good game at the backline, maintaining a passing accuracy of 92 percent. He was not tested much by the MLS side's attackers, as the first half was mostly one-way traffic.

Marcos Llorente: 7.5/10

Pulled off some good tackles and kept Seattle Sounders' forward line quiet, showcasing impressive possession sense and defensive quality.

Midfielders

Pablo Barrios: 9.1/10

The 22-year-old was by far the best player of the game as he scored twice to give Simeone's side a charging postion in the game. He maintained 88 percent passing accuracy in the game and created a chance for his side.

Koke: 7.1/10

The Spanish midfielder orchestrated the game well as he helped the team maintain their shape and passed the ball around to make it difficult for the MLS side to chase. He recovered five balls for his team and blocked a clear chance.

Rodrigo de Paul: 7.1/10

The Argentinian was one of the major creative forces for Atletico Madrid as he created around four chances for his side. He maintained a passing accuracy of 84 percent and made five passes into the final third.

Giuliano Simeone: 8.4/10

The Argentinian had a good game on the right side of the midfield for the Rojiblancos as he assisted Pablo Barrios' opening goal in the first half. He created three chances for his team and made five passes into the final third.

Attackers

Julian Alvarez: 7.5/10

The former Manchester City forward missed a lot of opportunities to score in both halves, as one of his shots also hit the crossbar.

Alexander Sorloth: 7.7/10

The Norwegian attacker had a good game as he finished the game with an xG of 1.17 with two shots on the goal. He was a menace for Seattle Sounders to deal with as he got few opportunities to score but failed.

Substitutes

Axel Witsel: 7.3/10

The defender came on at the start of the second half to replace Gimenez and made an immediate impact, scoring the side's second goal.

Antoine Griezmann: 6.5/10

The French World Cup winner replaced Alexander Sorloth around the 70th minute of the game.

Conor Gallagher: 6.3/10

The creator in the game, Rodrigo de Paul, was replaced as Gallagher came on the field for the final 25 minutes of the game.

Angel Correa: 6.2/10

The 30-year-old Argentinian came on to replace Koke around the 70th minute of the game.

Nahuel Molina: N/A.

Manager

Diego Simeone: 7.0/10

The Argentinian manager was spot on with his tactics as his team dominated the MLS side and ensured that they still continue in the tournament.

Sportsdunia's Man of the Match goes to Pablo Barrios