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Kondogbia taking positives from debut Atletico Madrid win
The defensive midfielder enjoyed a winning bow for Los Rojiblancos as they silenced Cadiz in Saturday’s Spanish top-flight outing
Geoffrey Kondogbia has highlighted the positives of his debut game for Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s 4-0 La Liga triumph over Cadiz.
The Central African Republic international joined the Red and Whites from Valencia on a four-year deal as a replacement for Ghana’s Thomas Partey, who joined Arsenal.
Eventually, he made his much-awaited bow against the Yellow Submarine after coming on for Koke with 18 minutes left to play.
The 27-year-old held sway in the middle, albeit, he was cautioned in the 85th minute after lunging into Salvi Sanchez.
In the end, Diego Simeone's side got maximum points at stake thanks to goals from Marcos Llorente, Luis Suarez and a brace from Joao Felix.
Kondogbia is delighted to play his first game for Atleti while assuring that he would keep working hard.
He also talked about the depth of quality in Simeone’s squad and he believes with them, he would adapt quickly.
“It was an incredible night. We took the lead early and things went well for us after that. I also had my debut, so I think it’s positive for the team and myself,” he told club media.
“I’ll try to work hard and help the team. Now it’s time to get to know my teammates and understand what they and the coach want from me. I’ll slowly adapt to the team.
“They’ve welcomed me really well. I already knew Yannick, and Thomas [Lemar] a little bit, who played for AS Monaco.
“I’ve found a fantastic group of players and I think that will help me to adapt quickly.”
After the latest result, the 10-time Spanish top-flight kings are third on the log having accrued 17 points from seven matches, while Alvaro Cervera's men occupy the sixth position with 14 points having played two games more.
Atletico Madrid return to action after the international break with a blockbuster clash against Barcelona on home soil on November 21. For Cadiz, they are next in action in La Liga against Real Sociedad on the road on November 22.
Kondogbia is expected to be in action for Central African Republic when they take on Vahid Halihodzic’s Morocco in this week’s double-header Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
