Diego Simeone has always preferred a “suffering” victory over a comfortable one, and Saturday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano gave him exactly that. In a match that was more about steel than silk, Atletico Madrid secured a 1-0 win over Getafe, keeping their pursuit of the top two very much alive.
Another day, another clean sheet.
The Lightning Start
The game was barely eight minutes old when Nahuel Molina decided he’d seen enough of Getafe’s defensive shape. After Kiko Femenía failed to clear a loose ball properly, the Argentine fullback pounced. From well over 25 yards out, Molina unleashed a swerving, dipping piledriver that left David Soria rooted to the spot as it flew into the top corner.
“I didn’t think twice,” Molina said, still buzzing after the game. “As soon as it sat up, I knew I was hitting it.”
VAR and the Red Card
Atletico dominated the first half, even hitting the woodwork through an Alexander Sørloth header, but Getafe’s legendary stubbornness kept them in the contest. However, their mountain became a lot steeper ten minutes into the second half. Following a VAR review for violent conduct against Sørloth, Abdel Abqar saw his yellow card upgraded to red.
Despite the numerical advantage, Atleti couldn’t find the cushion they craved. Julián Álvarez thought he’d sealed it late on after a slick move with Ademola Lookman, only to see his effort heroically cleared off the line at the death.
Simeone’s Mixed Emotions
While the win marks Atleti’s fourth straight victory in La Liga, “El Cholo” wasn’t entirely satisfied with the narrow margin.
“We had the chances to be much more clinical,” Simeone admitted to reporters. “At 1-0, you are always one mistake away from frustration. We must kill these games earlier.”
The result keeps Atletico firmly in third, just a point behind Villarreal in the race for the “best of the rest” behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. With a massive Champions League return leg against Tottenham looming, Simeone will be praying this physical derby hasn’t taken too much out of his squad.
