Atletico Madrid’s nightmare run continued on Wednesday night as they fell to a chaotic 3-2 defeat against relegation-threatened Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero. Despite a heroic brace from Nicolás González, Diego Simeone’s side suffered their seventh loss in eight matches, further dampening spirits ahead of their massive Champions League semi-final against Arsenal.
The Nico Gonzalez Show (And the Almada Disaster)
The match started perfectly for a heavily rotated Atleti side. Just nine minutes in, Nicolás González finished a slick counter-attack, slotting home a backheel from Rodri Mendoza to give the visitors the lead.
However, the momentum shifted when Elche’s David Affengruber—who finished the night with a staggering 9.7 rating—poked home an equalizer from a corner. Things then went from bad to worse on the half-hour mark when Thiago Almada was dispossessed on the edge of his own box. In a desperate attempt to recover, he hauled down Affengruber, resulting in a straight red card and a penalty. André Silva made no mistake from the spot, putting Elche 2-1 up.
Remarkably, Atletico responded immediately. Even with 10 men, González bagged his second of the night, lifting the ball over the keeper and heading it home after a lung-busting run to the byline.
Late Heartbreak for the Visitors
The second half was a gritty affair, but the man advantage eventually told. In the 75th minute, Andre Silva secured his brace and the victory, blasting home from close range after Jan Oblak had initially saved an Affengruber header.
While Atletico remains comfortably in fourth place, the lack of form is becoming a crisis. Simeone’s decision to rest stars like Julián Álvarez was understandable with Arsenal on the horizon, but the defensive fragility and lack of discipline shown by the fringe players will be a major concern for the Argentine tactician.
