Girona vs Atletico Madrid 0:1 – 2023-03-13
Álvaro Morata’s late goal secured a crucial victory for Atlético Madrid over Girona, who suffered only their second loss in nine home La Liga games.
Despite their impressive 6-1 win over Sevilla, Atléti’s start against Girona was lacklustre, with the home side dominating possession but failing to convert their early opportunities, until Antoine Griezmann’s goal opened the floodgates for Diego Simeone’s team.
Despite finding their rhythm, Atlético Madrid’s Depay missed two clear chances from close range in the first half, leaving back-up striker Morata on the bench in frustration, while Mario Hermoso also missed a free header, leaving the team wondering how they failed to score before half-time.
In the second half, Girona started to dominate the game, with David López’s audacious halfway-line effort almost catching Jan Oblak off-guard, and Rodrigo Riquelme missing a golden chance to score against his parent club, before Álvaro Morata eventually found the back of the net from a corner with a poacher’s finish, leading to wild celebrations on the touchline.
Girona manager Míchel was understandably upset by the late defeat, as his team are still searching for their first-ever win against Atlético, who remain unbeaten in their last nine La Liga games, while the hosts, who had scored 11 goals in their previous three matches, surprisingly failed to score, leaving them in 12th place, as the Rojiblancos solidify their hold on third place in the table.
