Julian Alvarez on Thursday struck a 90th-minute winner for Atletico Madrid to snatch a 1-0 victory at RC Celta de Vigo in La Liga.
Even a single point would have flattered Diego Simeone’s side, but they took all three when the Argentina international, on as a substitute, finished Antoine Griezmann’s cross at the back post.
Celta had the better chances as Atletico, third, lacked spark ahead of the derby clash against Spanish champions Real Madrid tomorrow.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“We didn’t play well in attack in the first half,” Simeone told DAZN. “The subs gave us a bit more creativity to be able to win the game.”
Simeone started his son Giuliano for the first time after some substitute appearances and left star summer signing Alvarez on the bench.
Atletico failed to take a single shot in a low-quality first half, while Celta threatened seriously only just before the interval, when Jan Oblak saved brilliantly from Iago Aspas’ drive.
The Slovenian goalkeeper made another superb stop from Borja Iglesias’ close-range header after 57 minutes to keep Atletico level.
However, it was Atletico who claimed victory when former Manchester City striker Alvarez, on as a substitute, stayed sharp to prod home Griezmann’s deep cross.
“[Scoring] helps for confidence, and it’s always to help the team ... these are three important points,” Alvarez said. “We knew that it would be a difficult game, Celta have done very well at home. Bit by bit we improved in the game, and in the second half we made some chances.”
Earlier, Ayoze Perez netted twice to claim Villarreal a 2-1 win at RCD Espanyol, taking the Yellow Submarine fourth.
With six goals the Spain international trails only Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski by one strike.
The home fans were angry with referee Alejandro Quintero Gonzalez’s lenient officiating and one threw a plastic cup which struck the official as he walked off at the end.
Real Betis Balompie could only secure a 1-1 draw at bottom-of-the-table UD Las Palmas.
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