Julián Álvarez scored a late winner as Atlético Madrid defeated Real Oviedo 1–0 away from home on Matchday 26 of LaLiga, giving Diego Simeone’s team an important victory that moves them into third place in the standings.
The Argentine forward scored again in LaLiga after almost four months, with his last league goal coming on November 1. After ending his scoring drought earlier this year with goals against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and Club Brugge in the Champions League, Álvarez delivered another key moment for Atlético.
Álvarez started on the bench and came on in the second half for an Atlético side that had Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada in the starting lineup, while Giuliano Simeone also entered later in the match. When the game looked set to finish goalless, the decisive play arrived in stoppage time.
In the fourth minute of added time, Molina sent a low cross from the right that caused a rebound inside the box. The ball fell to Álvarez, who moved past his defender and finished with his left foot into the low corner to score the only goal of the match.
With the win, Atlético Madrid took advantage of Villarreal’s loss to move into third place with 51 points and a better goal difference. Real Oviedo stays at the bottom of the table with 17 points and remains in the relegation zone.
