Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 11:00 PM• Jonathan van Haaster • Last update: 23:12

Atlético Madrid has done excellent business in LaLiga in its own Cívitas Metropolitano. Los Colchoneros won 2-1 against Deportivo Alavés thanks to goals from Rodrigo Riquelme and Álvaro Morata. Thanks to the victory, coach Diego Simeone’s team passes FC Barcelona in the rankings. Atlético is now third, Barça fourth. Alavés is just above the relegation zone in seventeenth place.

Riquelme caused the first big danger of the match. The 23-year-old Spaniard shot towards the right corner, where Alavés goalie Antonio Sivera was there in time. Mario Hermoso also came close from a corner kick. The centre-back headed just wide. After Morata also missed a heading opportunity, he aimed too high, Atlético still took the lead halfway through the first half.

Riquelme took Morata’s cross with his chest, passed direct opponent Andoni Gorosabel and scored in the short corner: 1-0. Just before half time, Antoine Griezmann seemed to double the lead. However, at close range he came across Sivera. In injury time, Morata still made it 2-0. The striker was sent deep, cut out his man and finished: 2-0.

Alavés was actually not involved and Atlético also noticed that. This led to a slow pace and a lack of spectacle. That changed twenty minutes before the end, when Griezmann seemed to slide in the third Madrid goal. However, his goal was disallowed, to the anger of Atlético.

Well controlled and nicely finished by Riquelme, the Madrilenians are in the lead! ??#ZiggoSport #AtletiAlaves pic.twitter.com/K29cLV10R7

— Ziggo Sport Voetbal (@ZS_Voetbal) October 29, 2023

Referee Alejandro Ruiz blew the whistle for a foul by Marcos Llorente in the run-up to the goal. The midfielder wiped his hand in the face of Rubén Duarte, who previously seemed to have committed a foul on Llorente by hanging on Llorente’s shirt. Llorente pressed on and crossed to Griezmann, who finished the chance at the far post. The moment Griezmann finished, Ruiz blew the whistle.

The referee was met with scorn from players, which led to yellow cards for Llorente, Hermoso and, remarkably, Duarte. The goal was disallowed. After this event, the competition came back to life. After a brilliant attack, Nahuel Molina seemed to make it 3-0, but he saw Sivera make a good save.

Ten minutes before the end, Riquelme was close to his second goal of the evening. He saw his effort towards the far corner just tapped away by Sivera. In the final phase, Alavés also showed up quite suddenly. Ten minutes before the end, Ianis Hagi shot just wide with a beautiful volley. The Romanian was responsible for the assist to Ander Guevara, who scored from the edge of sixteen, deep in injury time. Jan Oblak didn’t look good with that shot, but Atlético didn’t have any more problems in the remainder.