La Liga: Atletico Madrid Secure A Late Winner Against Villarreal

Atletico Madrid secured a crucial 2-1 victory against Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica, ending their two-game La Liga losing streak & maintaining their unbeaten record at the stadium since 2018.

Diego Simeone’s decision to reintroduce Antoine Griezmann into the starting lineup proved to be a masterstroke early on, as Axel Witsel opened the scoring for Atletico in the 9th minute with a well-taken header from a Rodrigo Riquelme corner. Despite early pressure from Villarreal, Atletico held firm defensively, with goalkeeper Jan Oblak making crucial saves to deny the hosts.

However, Villarreal found their equalizer early in the second half through Alexander Sorloth, who capitalized on a defensive error to slot the ball past Oblak. The goal injected new life into the home side, as they pushed forward in search of a winner, testing Atletico’s defense with dangerous attacks.

As the game entered its final stages, it was substituted Saul Niguez who proved to be the hero for Atletico. In the 87th minute, Cesar Azpilicueta set up Saul with a precise pass, allowing the midfielder to calmly slot the ball home with his left foot from the edge of the area, securing all three points for the visitors.

The result sees Atletico climb back into La Liga’s top four, overtaking Athletic Bilbao in the standings.

Despite the late heartbreak for Villarreal, the Yellow Submarine can take pride in their recent form, having picked up 19 points from their last 10 games, a significant improvement from their earlier performances in the season.