Atletico Madrid 1-0 Osasuna: Julian Alvarez sends Atleti top after gritty win over visitors
Atletico Madrid triumphed over a determined Osasuna team with a narrow 1-0 victory in LaLiga, achieving 12 wins in their last 13 encounters against Los Rojillos, following Osasuna's victory in their previous match.
The match commenced with Atleti quickly establishing dominance, and they believed they had scored just seven minutes in. However, the goal was disallowed as Antoine Griezmann was deemed to have handled the ball when converting Nahuel Molina’s cross.
Further frustration ensued when Giuliano Simeone made a rapid advance, only for Julian Alvarez's subsequent shot to be comfortably saved by Sergio Herrera.
Despite these setbacks, Osasuna held their ground, with Pablo Ibanez heading wide and Jorge Herrando narrowly missing the target after connecting with Moi Gomez’s cross, just ahead of Jan Oblak.
At the opposite end, Alvarez managed to connect with Rodrigo De Paul’s delicate pass, but his effort was thwarted by a remarkable save from Herrera, prolonging the search for the opening goal.
The home crowd at Estadio Metropolitano experienced additional moments of frustration, including a booking for Simeone after he attempted to recover from a misplaced touch, and Alvarez's shot from a tight angle being saved. The first half concluded with a sigh of relief as Ibanez's ambitious attempt went wide, catching Oblak off his line.
Samuel Lino was brought on at the start of the second half and quickly made an impact as Atleti displayed their attacking intent. However, Simeone's shot was blocked, and Lino received a yellow card for simulation.
The breakthrough finally arrived shortly thereafter, as a well-executed corner routine saw Griezmann's cross headed back by Clement Lenglet, allowing Alvarez to find the back of the net with ease.
Following his contribution to the goal, Lenglet positioned himself effectively to prevent Raul Garcia and Ibanez from having clear scoring opportunities at the other end.
The visitors sought to level the score but nearly conceded an own goal when a late cross from Javi Galan deflected off several defenders before striking the post.
This match marked Atleti's 14th consecutive victory in all competitions, allowing them to surpass Real Madrid and claim the top position in LaLiga. Conversely, Osasuna has not secured a win in their last seven league encounters, suffering defeats in the most recent two.
SportsLigue