Atletico Madrid’s Campaign Unravels Further as Espanyol Fights Back to Secure Draw

Atlético Madrid’s challenging month continued as Diego Simeone’s side relinquished a vital lead, ultimately settling for a 1-1 draw against Espanyol in Barcelona. This result all but extinguished their remaining hopes of clinching the LaLiga title, marking the fourth consecutive draw between the two teams.

Espanyol entered the clash at the RCDE Stadium boasting an unbeaten streak of eight home matches in LaLiga— their longest such run since January 2017— and were expected to pose a significant threat to an Atlético team that had suffered defeats in their last two league matches and was recently eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by their fierce rivals, Real Madrid.

Marcos Llorente nearly shattered this narrative just three minutes in, with a goal ruled out for offside, before the match settled into a largely uneventful first half hour.

The only notable moment in that spell came with an Antoine Griezmann free-kick that was comfortably blocked by the Espanyol wall, compounded by the injury of Robin Le Normand following a head collision with Roberto Fernandez, which proved a significant setback.

However, Atlético Madrid gradually found their rhythm, breaking through ten minutes before halftime. This was a prime example of Madrilenian flair; a swift inter-play on the right led to a cross deep into the area, where Alexander Sorloth, under pressure, headed the ball back towards the edge of the box. The ball landed perfectly for César Azpilicueta, who unleashed a spectacular strike into the top-left corner of the Espanyol net.

With Azpilicueta’s strike marking his first goal since April 2022, Atlético seemed poised to extend their lead shortly after the break, only for Sorloth to narrowly miss the target five minutes into the second half.

Espanyol responded determinedly, and just moments after making a double substitution, they carved out a golden opportunity to equalise. Javi Puado delivered a cross for Alejo Veliz, but the Tottenham Hotspur loanee was unable to navigate through the defensive crowd for a clear shot.

However, the home side finally found the equaliser just a couple of minutes later. A whipped ball into the box saw Clement Lenglet penalised for dragging Leandro Cabrera down, with referee Javier Alberola pointing to the penalty spot without hesitation. Puado stepped up to take the penalty, successfully firing it past Jan Oblak into the roof of the net, even as the experienced goalkeeper guessed the right direction.

While the equaliser was a significant setback for Atlético, the fact that 17 of their goals before this match had come after the 75th minute gave their travelling supporters a glimmer of hope for a last-minute winner.

Griezmann was the focus of attention as the match drew to a close, and a chance appeared for the Frenchman to add to his tally with ten minutes remaining, but his first-time shot was stopped by Joan Garcia.

The match ended in a draw, and with Barcelona poised to extend their lead over Atlético to nine points in the upcoming fixtures, this outcome is likely a devastating blow to Diego Simeone’s aspirations of lifting the title. Meanwhile, Espanyol continues to grapple with relegation, potentially falling as low as 18th by the weekend’s end.