Atletico Madrid Stumble Again with Draw Against Villarreal
Atletico Madrid Stumble Again with Draw Against Villarreal
Atletico Madrid dropped vital points in the La Liga title race after a 1-1 draw with Villarreal at the Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday. Samuel Lino’s second-half strike rescued a point for Diego Simeone’s side after Gerard Moreno opened the scoring with a first-half penalty. The result leaves Atletico one point behind league leaders Real Madrid, who are set to face Valladolid later on Saturday.
Simeone rotated his squad following a taxing midweek Champions League comeback against Bayer Leverkusen, resting key players Antoine Griezmann and Rodrigo de Paul. Despite dominating much of the first half, Atletico struggled to break through Villarreal’s defense. Julian Alvarez came close with a low shot that Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior saved well.
Against the run of play, Villarreal earned a penalty when Reinildo Mandava fouled Gerard Moreno in the box. Moreno stepped up and converted, sending Jan Oblak the wrong way to give the visitors the lead.
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Atletico equalized in the 58th minute when Samuel Lino bundled the ball into the net after Angel Correa’s improvised backheel was deflected into his path. Late in the game, substitutes Griezmann and De Paul almost combined for a winner, but Griezmann’s header went wide, leaving Atletico to rue missed opportunities.
With the draw, Atletico now face added pressure as Barcelona, six points behind them, have a chance to close the gap when they host Valencia on Sunday.
