Atletico Madrid 3-0 Girona: Los Colchoneros thrash visitors to kick-start campaign

Atletico Madrid got their first victory of the 2024/25 LaLiga season with a decisive 3-0 win against Girona at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano.

Having invested nearly €200 million during the summer transfer window, Atlético aims to narrow the gap with Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the standings. However, their 2-2 draw against Villarreal on the opening matchday indicates that further improvements are necessary to reach this objective.

In the match against Girona, two of the recent signings—Robin Le Normand and Julian Alvarez—were featured in the starting eleven, while Conor Gallagher and Alexander Sorloth were relegated to the bench.

Alvarez was the first to test the opposition, but his shot went well off target, missing Paulo Gazzaniga’s goal.

Although there were limited clear opportunities before halftime, the home side appeared more menacing, with Samuel Lino forcing Gazzaniga into action on two occasions, while Pablo Barrios failed to find the net. Girona managed to keep Atlético at bay for the most part, but the dynamics shifted just before the interval.

A well-placed ball from Le Normand seemed manageable, yet as Alvarez sought to intercept, Gazzaniga handled the ball outside the penalty area under pressure.

In an unexpected decision, referee Luca Zufferli issued only a yellow card to the goalkeeper instead of a red. However, justice was swiftly served when Antoine Griezmann converted the ensuing free kick into the bottom corner.

In contrast to Atlético, Girona's primary concern during the summer has been the departure of key players, including Savinho, Aleix Garcia, and Artem Dovbyk. Nevertheless, new striker Abel Ruiz emerged as a significant threat before halftime, forcing Jan Oblak into two crucial saves.

This had little impact, as Atlético quickly extended their lead to two goals shortly after the second half commenced.

Following that moment, Girona took control of possession, with Diego Simeone bringing on Gallagher for his debut in an effort to manage the threat posed by the opposition. Nevertheless, the visitors struggled to pose a significant challenge to Oblak, who comfortably handled a shot from Bojan Miovski.

No team can maintain a lead quite like Simeone’s Rojiblancos, and it ultimately turned out to be a tranquil evening for the home side, who further embellished the scoreline when Koke concluded a rapid counterattack during injury time. Additionally, this match marked Atleti’s first clean sheet in seven home encounters.

In contrast, due to their summer player departures, Girona may find it challenging to replicate their achievements from the 2023/24 season, during which they secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League. Currently, they have accumulated only one point from two matches this season, having scored just a single goal.