A point that could have been three at the Metropolitano | OneFootball

The Yellows were superior to Atlético de Madrid, who rescued a point heroically despite being down to ten men

Villarreal earned a highly valuable point at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano (2-2), although they deserved all three against an Atlético de Madrid side they outplayed both in possession and chances created. Two penalties converted by Gerard Moreno and Mikautadze had the Yellow Submarine on course for a prestigious victory, only for Giuliano to deny them with a dramatic late equaliser. Despite playing with ten men, Atlético fought back to secure a draw.

Iñigo Pérez named the same starting XI that drew with Racing Club as he looked to conquer the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, a demanding venue where Villarreal had not won since the 2022/23 season.

An even opening

Both sides threatened early and came close to opening the scoring. Atlético struck first through Grimaldo, whose angled effort was brilliantly saved by Luiz Júnior.

Shortly afterwards, Villarreal responded with a clear chance created by Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian beat Grimaldo one-on-one and squared for Mikautadze, who was waiting in the heart of the box. The Georgian struck first time, but Pubill made a crucial last-ditch block.

Yellow dominance before the break

As the first half progressed, Villarreal grew into the game and became increasingly comfortable in possession, enjoying long spells of control in the opposition half.

The best chances before the interval belonged to the visitors. In the 35th minute, Mikautadze came within inches of making it 0-1 after meeting a Santiago Mouriño delivery from the right. Moments later, Villarreal won the ball in space behind Atlético’s defence and Mikautadze once again tested Oblak with an angled effort.

In stoppage time, Ayoze almost put the Yellows ahead. The striker stretched to meet a superb first-time through ball from Mikautadze, only to be denied by Oblak.

Villarreal threaten, Atlético strike first

The visitors began the second half with two excellent opportunities. First, Mikautadze forced another save from Oblak with very little space to work with. Then Nicolas Pepe produced a remarkable effort from inside the area that seemed destined for the net before the Slovenian goalkeeper intervened once more.

Atlético also looked dangerous through Kang-In, whose effort closely resembled the goal he scored against Málaga on Matchday 1. Renato Veiga reacted quickly to block it with his body.

Atlético score, Villarreal react brilliantly

Just before the hour mark, Pubill gave Atlético the lead. The Catalan defender fired an unstoppable left-footed strike from outside the box to make it 1-0 with the hosts’ first shot on target of the second half. Despite the setback in a match Villarreal had controlled for long periods, the visitors refused to surrender and found their reward.

Five minutes later, in the 64th minute, the referee awarded a penalty for a foul on Buchanan. The Canadian was kicked by Hjulmand as he drove into the area. Gerard Moreno, who had entered the pitch alongside Tajon Buchanan in a double substitution, confidently converted from the spot to level the match at 1-1.

With the game tied, Villarreal turned the contest on its head. Following a superb run from Mikautadze, who outpaced Le Normand, the Georgian was brought down by the Spanish international. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a second penalty and sent off the Atlético defender. Mikautadze stepped up and made no mistake, putting Villarreal 1-2 ahead.

Atlético rescue a point heroically

Diego Simeone’s side refused to give in. In the 86th minute, despite being down to ten men, Atlético levelled through Giuliano. The Argentine attacker slipped between the centre-backs and finished first time past Luiz Júnior from a tight angle.

Before the final whistle, Buchanan missed a clear one-on-one chance against Oblak that could have sealed victory for Villarreal. In the end, it finished 2-2, with the points shared at the Metropolitano.