Author: Barkha Roy
Osasuna, cheered on by their passionate fans at the El Sadar Stadium, made an energetic start and almost scored when Lucas Torró’s long-range shot narrowly missed the target. Atlético responded immediately, however, when Griezmann took advantage of a rebound after Osasuna goalkeeper Aitor Fernández failed to hold Samuel Lino’s cross. Griezmann sent the ball towards goal from close range.
Osasuna continued to impose themselves and came close to scoring in the 37th minute, when left-back Johan Mojica dribbled past two defenders and hit the crossbar. The hosts created several chances, with Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak making an excellent save from Torro’s point-blank shot in the 66th minute.
Tempers flared when Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate was shown a red card for disputing the referee’s decision to disallow David Garcia’s goal in the 75th minute. Atlético capitalized on a quick counter-attack orchestrated by full-back Samuel Lino, who played a splendid pass to substitute Riquelme. Riquelme was quicker than goalkeeper Fernandez and calmly slotted the ball into the empty net.
Just four minutes later, Atlético’s Álvaro Morata and Osasuna’s Chimy Ávila were sent off after a heated confrontation.
Atlético Madrid’s only Brazilian player in the line-up, Samuel Lino, won his third game in a row, establishing himself as a starter under Simeone’s stewardship. Lino’s performance proved to be a constant source of problems for Osasuna, thanks to his aggressive and unpredictable style on the ball, which made life difficult for right-back Jesús Areso and anyone else who tried to defend against him.
In particular, Lino delivered a cross into the box that caught Aitor Fernández off guard, leading to Antoine Griezmann’s opener. In addition, Lino showed exceptional defensive awareness throughout the match and played a crucial role in creating Rodrigo Riquelme’s goal in the 81st minute with a precise low cross.
With a game in hand, Atlético have climbed to fifth place in the LaLiga standings on 13 points, six points behind surprise leaders Girona.