Forlán Fires Two Past Raja Casablanca in Friendly

On the day Atlético Madrid marked its 108th birthday, the club played two friendlies in Morocco. The first team beat Raja Casablanca, then leading the Moroccan league, 3-1, while Atlético B drew 1-1 with second-division Ir Tanger. Both matches were arranged as part of the co-operation agreement Atlético had signed with Raja Casablanca that Tuesday morning.

Quique Sánchez Flores used every available player apart from the injured Koke and Diego Godín, and rested his starters. Early on that showed: Perea and Álvaro Domínguez both gave the ball straight to opponents in build-up play.

One player stood apart. Diego Forlán, left on the bench for the previous league games, scored twice and had a hand in a third. After twelve minutes Elias delivered a corner to the edge of the box and the Uruguayan met it first time with a volley into the net. Atlético created little else before the interval; Tiago headed straight at the goalkeeper from a good position.

Raja levelled through Berrabeh in the 35th minute, in awkward circumstances. Quique had just replaced David de Gea with Joel, and before the young goalkeeper had reached his line a long ball was played into the area. Domínguez missed it, Joel was caught out of position, and Berrabeh lobbed him.

The second half belonged to the visitors. Forlán struck again from outside the area, the shot finishing in the top corner, and minutes later his cross took a deflection on its way in for the third.

Earlier that afternoon Atlético B had taken part in the official opening of the new stadium in Tangier, watched by more than 40,000 spectators. The young side controlled the game but fell behind after twenty minutes, Hamza Flihi running through the middle of the defence and beating Iago. Paco Regalón, the captain, headed in a Mínguez corner just after the break for 1-1, and the score stayed there.

Forlán’s Atlético years are set out on his player profile, the academy side that played in Tangier in the academy section, and further reports from the 2010-11 season in the archive.