A late strike from Julian Alvarez secured a thrilling 1-0 victory for Atletico Madrid against Celta de Vigo on Thursday, propelling them to third place in the LaLiga standings.
With this win, Atletico moved up to 15 points, just one ahead of Villarreal and two behind Real Madrid, whom they will face on Sunday. Barcelona currently leads the league with 21 points.
Alvarez, a recent high-profile signing, scored in the final minute of regular time, finishing a precise cross from Antoine Griezmann to notch his second goal of the season. After the match, Alvarez expressed his satisfaction, stating, “It was a very important win on a very difficult pitch. Little by little we found ourselves better in the match. Obviously, the goal helps my confidence, but the important thing is to help the team.”
Atletico’s goalkeeper, Jan Oblak, played a crucial role in the win, making key saves to deny Celta’s captain Iago Aspas and Borja Iglesias, ensuring Celta suffered their first home defeat of the season. Celta keeper Vicente Guaita acknowledged the challenge, saying, “The team played a great game. We controlled possession, we had some very good chances, and in the end, it was a blow. Julian was more clever than our defenders and me, and they beat us.”
