Atletico Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Almeria and remained in the hunt for La Liga’s top. Despite scoring twice in quick succession in the early stages, Diego Simeone’s team allowed the visitors to half the deficit and push them all the way at Metropolitano. Almeria put on a valiant display and probably deserved a point based on their overall efforts, but it wasnt’s to be for the team managed by Gaizka Garitano. The red-and-whites survived to claim the points and recover from last weekend’s loss at Barcelona, but will have to do some soul-serching after being pinned back at home by Almeria for long periods of the game. That doesn’t bode well for any sort of title challenge.WHAT A PLAY AND WHAT A GOAL FROM MORATA! HES BACK 🇪🇸😍 pic.twitter.com/d3aCiC5ovF— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) December 10, 2023 The game kicked off with Atletico Madrid immediately showing their attacking intent. They were rewarded in the 6th minute when Antoine Griezmann capitalized on a brilliant team play, finishing with precision into the right side of the net. However, celebrations were short-lived as the goal was disallowed following a VAR review, indicating an offside in the build-up. Undeterred, the home side continued pressing and finally broke the deadlock in the 17th minute. Alvaro Morata’s brilliant manoeuvring through the defence led to a one-on-one opportunity, and he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net, making it 1-0.Angel Correa with a simple finish to give Atletico Madrid the 2-0 lead against Almeria. ⚽️🇦🇷Marcos Llorente puts it on a plate to get the assist. 🪄🇪🇸pic.twitter.com/VfBFoGhcCd— LaLigaExtra (@LaLigaExtra) December 10, 2023 Los Colchoneros quickly doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute. Marcos Llorente delivered a precise cross across the area, finding Angel Correa, who had an easy task of tapping the ball into an empty net, extending Atletico’s lead to 2-0.🇪🇸 Goal: Léo Baptistão | Atlético Madrid 2-1 Almeríapic.twitter.com/35wUcFdOBY— FootColic ⚽️ (@FootColic) December 10, 2023 As the game progressed, Atleti remained assertive, but Almeria showed resilience, pulling one back in the 62nd minute. Brazilian forward Leo Baptistao capitalized on a rebound in the box, firing the ball into the bottom right corner, reducing the deficit to 2-1.The match saw several notable moments, including a disallowed goal for Atletico, a fantastic save by Jan Oblak denying Almeria’s attempts, and a VAR review that halted the action for a possible offside. Despite Almeria’s late efforts, Atletico Madrid held on to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory.3 – Teams to win 100% of their home games in Europe’s big five leagues this season:🇪🇸 ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (8/8)🏴 Aston Villa (8/8)🏴 Liverpool (7/7)Union. pic.twitter.com/o8SiwCMTVU— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 10, 2023 Simeone will be happy with the result, but will have a lot to say to his players following a less-than-asserted performance.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 16Friday Getafe – Valencia 1-0 (0-0)/Mayoral 87/Saturday Alaves – Las Palmas 0-1 (0-1)/Rodriguez 31/Real Betis – Real Madrid 1-1 (0-0)/Ruibal 66 – Bellingham 53/Villarreal – Real Sociedad 0-3 (0-3)/Merino 38, Zubimendi 41, Kubo 45+4/Real Mallorca – Sevilla 1-0 (1-0)/Larin 11/Sunday Atletico Madrid – Almeria 2-1 (2-0)/Morata 17, Correa 22 – Baptistao 62/18.15: (5.60) Granada (3.90) Ath.Bilbao (1.73)20.30: (3.10) Cadiz (3.15) Osasuna (2.65)22.00: (1.58) Barcelona (4.40) Girona (6.50)Monday 23.00: (2.52) Rayo Vallecano (3.30) Celta (2.95)***odds are subject to change
