Atlético Madrid 1-0 Deportivo: Julián Álvarez scores, Oblak saves late

Julián Álvarez scored early in the second half as Atlético Madrid beat Deportivo 1-0 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Saturday. Jan Oblak made a double save in the first half and stopped Kevin Sánchez's shot on the line with the final kick of the game, as Diego Simeone's side won a sixth straight La Liga game and stayed two points behind leaders Barcelona.

Match facts

• Result: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Deportivo (half-time 0-0)
• Competition: La Liga, Matchday 10
• Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid (kick-off 20:00 UK)
• Scorers: Atlético Madrid - Julián Álvarez 48'; Deportivo - none
• Red cards: None
• Next: Levante v Atlético Madrid (La Liga), Saturday 31 October, 13:00 UK; Deportivo v Osasuna (La Liga), Monday 2 November, 20:00 UK

How the match unfolded

Deportivo had the better of a poor first half, and Atlético did not manage a shot on target before the break. Oblak saved a Miguel Loureiro header in the sixth minute, and Marc Pubill was booked in the 26th. A minute later Oblak kept out a long-range effort from Yeremay Hernández and then stopped Lorenzo Amatucci's follow-up from close range. Alejandro Grimaldo needed treatment for a knock to his knee just after the half-hour but carried on, while Lee Kang-in twice shot over for the hosts.

Simeone made two changes at half-time, sending on Giuliano Simeone and Robin Le Normand for Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman. Three minutes after the restart Grimaldo ran into space down the left and pulled the ball back low for Álvarez, who finished from close range. AS reported it was his first league goal at the Metropolitano since 1 November 2025.

Atlético then had their best spell. Leo Román saved from Álex Baena, came out to block Álvarez's chip in the 71st minute and kept out a Giuliano Simeone header in the 82nd. Alexander Sørloth, on for Lee, shot just over. Yeremay and Giacomo Quagliata were booked for Deportivo, and Sørloth, Baena and Giuliano Simeone all went into the book late on.

Deportivo pushed for an equaliser in five minutes of stoppage time. Kevin Sánchez fired wide from Adama Traoré's cross, and in the last action Oblak held his shot from the left side of the six-yard box on the line.

Reaction

Oblak admitted Atlético had struggled. "It was very hard for us. We weren't at our best. The first half was pretty bad," he told reporters, as quoted by Marca. "Deportivo are a very good team and they can punish you. We had a little bit of luck."

The goalkeeper also backed Álvarez: "It's clear that Julián is very important. He is giving everything he has. I'm happy for him."

What it means

Atlético have 25 points from 10 games, two behind Barcelona, who have played a game fewer, according to ESPN's table. The win followed the 1-0 victory at Espanyol and a midweek Champions League draw in Stuttgart. Simeone's side visit Levante next Saturday, before hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Barcelona in the league.

Deportivo, who started on-loan Atlético defender José María Giménez, stay on 11 points. Their last two league games were a 1-1 home draw with Levante and a 3-2 defeat at Real Sociedad.

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