Morata wins it for Atletico Madrid as they sneak past Granada
For a side who had won just two of their 20 matches so far in LaLiga, it was a surprisingly bright start for Granada, and they controlled possession for much of the opening period. Maybe it was Atletico’s four-match losing run on the road in LaLiga that spurred Alexander Medina’s men on, as Lucas Boye swiped the first attempt of the game off target before Bryan Zaragoza called Jan Oblak into action.
Granada were dealing well with the visitors’ press, but it wasn’t long before Diego Simeone’s side began to experience some joy on the counter.
Alvaro Morata was first to make Augusto Batalla work on the breakaway, before Rodrigo Riquelme raced down the wing to fire into the gloves of the Argentine.
Much of Atleti’s promising play came through talisman Antoine Griezmann, and Colchoneros’ newly-crowned all-time top scorer thundered against the bar from the edge of the area to cap off a half of ultimately few high-quality chances for either side.
In stark contrast to the first half, both teams stormed out of the blocks as play got back underway, and numerous chances at both ends led up to the opener before the hour mark.
Rodrigo De Paul’s introduction had greatly improved Atletico’s midfield play, and he was instrumental in the move as Griezmann whipped in for Morata to glance into the far corner.
Domination briefly continued for the visitors, but Granada weathered the storm and began to trouble as the match reached its final exchanges.
Only Axel Witsel was in the way to stop Bruno Mendez punting in following a corner, but Medina’s charges were unable to channel the passion of the Nuevo Los Carmenes crowd and find an equaliser despite Matias Arezo going close in the final seconds . With just a single blemish on his 19-match personal record against Granada, Diego Simeone will hope this result foreshadows their next away trip in LaLiga – another matchup with arch-rivals Real Madrid.
It’s looking less and less likely that his side will get to play the Andalusians next season though, with only Almería losing more and winning fewer so far in a bleak campaign on Nazaries’ return to LaLiga.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mario Hermoso (Atletico Madrid)
