Julian Alvarez scored the game’s final goal in a dramatic La Liga match to give Atletico Madrid a vital 1-0 victory against Celta Vigo on Thursday.
Coming off the bench, the Argentine forward netted his second goal in La Liga to help Atletico win all three points in a game that looked like it might end in a tie.
On Thursday night in La Liga, Atletico Madrid defeated Celta Vigo 1-0 thanks to a goal from Julian Alvarez in the ninetieth minute. Diego Simeone’s team would have been happy with even one point, but when the Argentine international, who had come on as a substitute, completed Antoine Griezmann’s cross at the back post, they won all three. The better opportunities went to Celta, while third-place Atletico Madrid lacked motivation ahead of their derby match against Spanish champion Real Madrid on Sunday.
According to Simeone, “We didn’t play well in attack in the first half,” DAZN.
“The subs gave us a bit more creativity to be able to win the game.”
After a few cameos in recent weeks, Simeone started his son Giuliano for the first time, starting star summer acquisition Alvarez on the bench.
Iago Aspas’ effort was well stopped by Jan Oblak shortly before the half, as Celta posed a real threat but Atletico failed to produce a single attempt in a poor first half. After 57 minutes, the Slovenian goalkeeper kept Atletico equal with another outstanding save from a close-range header by Borja Iglesias.
But Atletico won when Alvarez, a former Manchester City striker who was brought on as a substitute, continued to be alert and poked home Griezmann’s long cross.
“(Scoring) helps for confidence, and it’s always to help the team… these are three important points,” Alvarez stated.
“We were aware that the game would be challenging because Celta has a strong home record.
“Bit by bit we improved in the game, and in the second half we made some chances.”
Earlier, Villarreal defeated the Yellow Submarine 2-1 at Espanyol thanks to two goals from Ayoze Perez. The only player ahead of the Spain international in the scoring standings, with six goals, is Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona.
One of the home fans hurled a plastic cup at referee Alejandro Quintero Gonzalez as he was leaving the field at full time because he was upset by his lax officiating.
At Las Palmas, who are at the bottom of the table, Real Betis could only manage a 1-1 tie.
Real Madrid defeated Alaves 3-2 on Tuesday to take second place in the league, while Barcelona leads after their 1-0 victory over Getafe on Wednesday.
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