Atletico Madrid overcame a valiant Osasuna side to win 1-0 in LaLiga, marking 12 wins out of the last 13 head-to-heads for Los Colchoneros after Los Rojillos won the previous meeting.
Atleti quickly asserted themselves and thought they had taken the lead just seven minutes into proceedings, but their goal was ruled out as Antoine Griezmann turned Nahuel Molina’s cross into the net with his arm.
There was further disappointment in front of goal after Giuliano Simeone’s blistering run with a tame Julian Alvarez attempt being gathered by Sergio Herrera.
Despite the near-misses, Osasuna were competing well and Pablo Ibanez headed wide before Jorge Herrando rose to meet Moi Gomez’s cross ahead of Jan Oblak but also diverted his attempt wide.
At the other end, Alvarez managed to get his head on Rodrigo De Paul’s dinked ball and was denied by an impressive Herrera save as the wait for an opener continued.
While there were more frustrating moments for the home faithful at Estadio Metropolitano, with Simeone being booked after trying to recover a loose touch and Alavrez’s shot from a tight angle being saved, the half ended in relief as Ibanez’s audacious strike sailed wide with Oblak being caught off his line.
Samuel Lino was introduced ahead of the restart and he was quickly involved as Atleti showed intent, although Simeone’s shot was blocked and Lino was then booked for diving.
The opener still came moments later, when a corner routine resulted in Griezmann’s cross being nodded back by Clement Lenglet for Alvarez to finish into the gaping net.
Having played a part in the opener, Lenglet then took up vital positions to deny Raul Garcia and Ibanez a clear sight of goal at the other end.
The visitors chased an equaliser but came close to scoring in their own goal with the ball from Javi Galan’s late cross bouncing off multiple defender before hitting the post, as Atleti earned their 14th consecutive win across all competitions, and more importantly, usurped Real Madrid to take top spot in LaLiga.
In contrast, Osasuna are winless in their last seven league matches and have lost the last two of those.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Clement Lenglet (Atletico Madrid)
Check out the match summary with Flashscore.
