Lodi completes redemption to inspire Atletico

When Renan Lodi grabbed the goal that sent Atletico Madrid into the quarterfinals of the Champions League and Manchester United onto the tournament scrapheap, it completed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the Brazilian.

Two months ago, Lodi was relegated to Atletico’s bench having fallen out of favour with coach Diego Simeone, while on the international stage he was excluded by Brazil boss Tite because he was not fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

On Tuesday at Old Trafford that seemed the distant past as the 23-year-old defender, who was operating as a winger due to injuries and suspensions, headed home in the 41st minute to become the unlikely hero as they beat United 1-0 to advance.

Lodi had already produced a man-of-the-match performance in the first leg in Spain, which ended 1-1, assisting Joao Felix for Atletico’s goal and creating all kinds of trouble for United’s defence.

It was redemption for Lodi and he burst into tears when the crowd in the Metropolitano stadium gave him a standing ovation as he was substituted late in the second half.

In the next game, he maintained the momentum with a brace against Celta Vigo in LaLiga.

“Lodi is a hard-working, humble player who deserves all the praise and support,” Simeone told reporters after the 2-0 home win over Celta.

The left back now seems a certain starter on the left wing, leapfrogging Belgium Yannick Carrasco, who was serving a three-match suspension after being sent off in their group stage clash against Porto in December.

“I’m really happy for the opportunity that the coach gave me to play out of my position,” Lodi said.

“I’m a left back, that’s what I do best, but if I’m needed in attack like the last two matches, I’ll do my best to contribute. I’m delighted that I finally had the chance to show what I’m worth.”

Lodi arrived at Atletico as one of Brazil’s most promising young players in the summer of 2019 for 20 million euros ($22 million) from Brazilian club Athletico Paranaense. He became an immediate starter both for Atletico and the national team.

Since the end of last season, however, he fell down the pecking order for club and country, suffering months of struggles before rediscovering his best form when his club needed him most.