Alavésvs
Atlético MadridAtlético Madrid did not make it easy on themselves, but they left Mendizorrotza with a 2-1 win that felt about right by the final whistle. It was Cristian Romero, of all people, who settled it — a header in the 87th minute off an Álex Baena delivery that punished Alavés for hanging in just long enough to believe.
For most of the first half, Atlético controlled the tempo the way you'd expect from a side with 67.7 percent of the ball and 709 completed passes on the night. The goal that opened things up came in the 33rd minute: Jonathan David played in Alejandro Grimaldo, who finished to give the visitors the lead. Clean, composed, and exactly the kind of move Alavés had been trying to prevent.
What followed was chaos. Right at the end of regulation in the first half, Ademola Lookman picked up a yellow card in the 45th minute, then Robin Le Normand was booked just a minute into stoppage time. And in the middle of all that, Alavés won a penalty. Lucas Boyé stepped up and converted it in the sixth minute of added time to level things at 1-1. A frantic end to the half, and suddenly the home side had real reason to believe.
Ten Against Eleven
The second half changed shape quickly. Ángel Pérez was sent off for Alavés in the 61st minute, and from that point forward the home side were simply trying to survive. With ten men, their already-slim margin for error disappeared. They had managed zero corners all game and were being pinned back by a side that put 22 shots on the board and forced five saves from the Alavés goalkeeper.
For a long stretch, it looked like Alavés might hold on. The equalizer had given them a foothold, and defending deep with ten men is a very specific kind of football — exhausting, but not impossible. They were making it work.
Then came the 87th minute. Álex Baena whipped in a delivery and Cristian Romero arrived to head it home. Qué golazo de situación — a center-back, a set piece, three minutes from the whistle. That was the match.
Johnny Cardoso picked up a late yellow in stoppage time for Atlético, a minor footnote on an otherwise clean night for the away side.
Our pre-match read made Atlético Madrid the clear favorite at 53%, and the result bore that out — though Alavés made them earn every bit of it. The hosts finished with only 8 shots and 3 on target, but the penalty conversion kept them alive deep into the second half despite the territorial mismatch.
Atlético will feel good about finding a winner late rather than settling for a draw, even if the performance had some rough edges — 14 fouls, two yellows in quick succession right before halftime, and a penalty conceded that nearly let the home side escape. The form is there, and the result is there. The question now is whether they can put together a cleaner 90 minutes as the schedule gets tighter.
Follow live scores and results across every major competition on the FutbolToday homepage, and find more analysis in our guides.