Ratings: Atlético prep for Arsenal as debutants seal win at Valencia

Atletico Madrid's Spanish midfielder #61 Miguel Cubo celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Spanish league football match between Valencia CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia on May 2, 2026. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images An extremely youthful Atlético Madrid gave manager Diego Simeone an unexpected gift for his 1,000th match as a manager, by beating Valencia CF 2-0 at a seething Mestalla. Second-half goals from substitutes Iker Luque (20) and Miguel Llorente “Cubo” (18) sealed a famous win on the East Coast, which allowed many first team players to rest before Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg.

View this post on Instagram Here are Into the Calderón’s player ratings for this one. Player Ratings Juan Musso: Today’s starting captain had very little to do, making it difficult to attribute any solid rating. Another clean sheet to his name will be greatly welcomed.

6 Nahuel Molina: When we signed Molina in the summer of 2022, there was a compilation video of his Udinese goals circulating on (then) Twitter. The majority thought we were acquiring a potent goal threat of a full-back who was going to be the cure to the Kieran Trippier virus going around. It’s fair to say we haven’t seen what we thought we would, but watching him play today as an unhinged wing-back with licence to unleash ballistic missiles and make defense-splitting runs, it’s easy to imagine what might have been.

Oh wait, the World Cup is on the horizon. Nevermind, it all makes sense now. 8 Javi Boñar: There was something brewing down the right side from earlier in the match, so it wasn’t a surprise that the opening goal came from a Boñar-Molina link up play on that flank.