MY ACCOUNT
Atletico Madrid left it late to take advantage of a slip-up by LaLiga title rivals Sevilla as Felipe’s header secured a 1-0 win over Osasuna.
Sevilla went top of LaLiga earlier in the day with a 2-2 draw against Alaves, an injury-time equaliser sending them to the summit.
But they and Real Sociedad are now just two points above defending champions Atletico, who claimed victory from one of only two efforts on target they managed at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Felipe rose to meet Yannick Carrasco’s near-post corner and turn it home, providing a dramatic finish to what had otherwise been a dour encounter on Saturday.
Antoine Griezmann was Atletico’s most threatening player in the first half, carving their best opportunity in the 20th minute when he fired narrowly wide of the left-hand post from just inside the box.
Yet both shots on target in the first half came from Osasuna, themselves looking to put pressure on the top four with what they hoped would be a sixth win of an impressive campaign so far.
Jan Oblak was forced into a diving save to prevent Lucas Torro’s long-range effort from nestling in the top-left corner in the 32nd minute.
Griezmann hit home from an offside position in the second half but Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera had nothing to do until he was picking the ball out of his net after Felipe gave Atletico an undeserved lead with three minutes left.
Oblak produced heroics to deny Roberto Torres in stoppage time and Herrera came up for the subsequent corner.
He was left scrambling to get back in-between the sticks after it was cleared, however, with only the woodwork preventing Carrasco’s attempt to capitalise from trickling over the line.
Herrera also kept out Matheus Cunha in a frantic finale as Atletico won for just the second time in seven games across all competitions.
What does it mean? – Unconvincing Atletico get the job done, again
Sevilla, Sociedad and Real Madrid will all have been greatly encouraged by Atletico’s lack of an attacking threat up until Felipe’s goal.
But instead of this performance raising questions about Atletico going forward, it served as another encapsulation of their ability to get the job done even when below their best.
They narrow the gap to the top for now, but Madrid will hope to leave the Rojiblancos four points behind with victory at Granada on Sunday.
Carrasco the creative force
Carrasco was always likely to be involved in a winning goal for Atletico. He played five key passes for the hosts, Osasuna’s Darko Brasanac was the only other player on the pitch to manage more than one.
Osasuna shut out
The visitors also played their part in this contest being an underwhelming spectacle. They finished the match with 0.38 Expected Goals and have now failed to score in six of their 14 league games. Only Getafe (8) and Levante (7) have failed to score more often in LaLiga this season.
What’s next?
Atletico turn their attention to the Champions League when they host Milan on Wednesday before visiting Cadiz four days later. Osasuna have the benefit of a longer break as they face Elche a week on Monday.
