🔥A costly win: Atlético's hard-fought victory at El Sadar | OneFootball

Atlético de Madrid earned a valuable but costly 1-2 win over Osasuna on Matchday 36 of LaLiga EA Sports. In a match marked by interruptions, injuries, and refereeing controversy, Diego Simeone’s side managed to return to winning ways, although they ended up hanging on in a ground as consistently hostile as El Sadar.

The afternoon began with setbacks for the Rojiblancos. Before the 20-minute mark, Mendoza had to leave the pitch with a muscle injury, making way for Le Normand. Shortly afterward, VAR intervened to award a penalty for a handball by Javi Galán, and Griezmann made no mistake to open the scoring. Osasuna responded and had the equalizer at Budimir’s feet after an error by Koke, but the Croatian missed in astonishing fashion.

In the second half, the introduction of Alexander Sorloth proved decisive. The Norwegian striker made it 0-2 in the 71st minute with an unstoppable finish, seemingly putting the game to bed. However, the match became complicated for the visitors when Marcos Llorente was sent off in the 79th minute for a second yellow after a foul on Aimar Oroz.

With a man down, Atlético dug in. Musso, with a crucial save from Budimir’s header, preserved the lead until Kike Barja pulled one back in the 91st minute. Despite the late siege and appeals for a penalty on Budimir that the referee waved away, Atleti held firm. The three points are heading to Madrid, but the cost is high: the absences of Mendoza and the suspended Llorente for the next clash against Girona.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

📸 ANDER GILLENEA - AFP or licensors