Julián Álvarez gives Atlético Madrid a 1-0 La Liga win

Álvarez breaks the deadlock

Atlético Madrid beat Deportivo La Coruna 1-0 in La Liga at Riyadh Air Metropolitano, with Julián Álvarez scoring the only goal. The result sends Atlético away as the winner after a match that remained finely balanced despite their greater share of the ball.

Álvarez opened the scoring in the 48th minute, finishing with Alejandro Grimaldo credited for the assist to make it 1-0. It was the only goal recorded, and it followed half-time changes for Atlético: Pablo Barrios Rivas was replaced by Giuliano Simeone Baldini, while Ademola Lookman made way for Robin Le Normand.

Atlético had 56% possession, 20 total shots and 483 accurate passes, compared with Deportivo’s 14 shots and 368 accurate passes. However, Deportivo produced nine shots inside the box to Atlético’s six, while their expected-goals figure was 1.45 against Atlético’s 1.41. Both teams registered four shots on goal, underlining how narrow the scoreline was.

The disciplinary pressure increased late on. Yeremay Hernández and Giacomo Quagliata were booked for Deportivo, while Alexander Sørloth, Alejandro Baena Rodríguez and Giuliano Simeone Baldini received Atlético’s late cautions. There were no red cards.

Álvarez was the standout performer, earning an 8.2 rating after 90 minutes, with two shots on target and five key passes. Going into the match, Atlético were ranked #2 on 22 points from nine games, while Deportivo were #10 on 11 points. Atlético’s pre-match form was Win, Draw, Win, Loss, Win, Win, Win, Win, Win; Deportivo’s was Draw, Draw, Win, Win, Draw, Loss, Draw, Loss, Draw.