Granada 2-1 Atletico Madrid: Joao Felix scores early, but visitors fall to fourth La Liga loss in a row in Andalucia
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Updated 22/12/2021 at 20:15 GMT
La Liga, Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes - Granada 2 (Machis 17', Molina 61') Atletico Madrid 1 (Felix, 2')
Granada Atletico Madrid
Image credit: Getty Images
Atletico Madrid suffered a fourth straight La Liga defeat as Diego Simeone’s side squandered an early lead away to Granada.
Simeone had never before lost four straight league matches as Atleti manager, but this performance and result highlighted the slump currently being endured by the defending Spanish champions.
It took the visitors just two minutes to open the scoring with Felix driving to the edge of the opposition box to finish calmly as Atletico Madrid looked to take an early grip of the contest.
However, Granada equalised after 18 minutes when Darwin Machis cut inside off the left wing on the counter attack and unleashed a ferocious strike which found the top corner of Jan Oblak’s net.
Felix appeared to have scored a second to put Atleti back in front just before half time only for the Portuguese’s header to be ruled out for a highly questionable foul on Machis.
Jorge Molina gave Granada the lead in the second half, with VAR used to spot that the 39-year-old was onside before sliding in to finish past Jan Oblak as Atleti were caught exposed on the break.
The defeat leaves Atletico Madrid in fifth place, 14 points off Real Madrid at the top of the table, while Granada are now up to 12th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
TALKING POINT - Atletico Madrid’s slump on the brink of becoming a crisis
The early signs were good for Atletico Madrid as they started well and took the lead after just two minutes of play with Felix particularly fired up. However, familiar problems started to appear for the defending La Liga champions as they allowed Granada back into the match. Atleti have now lost four straight games and are 14 points off the pace at the top of the table. Simeone will face more questions after this result. At what point does Atletico Madrid’s slump become a crisis?
MAN OF THE MATCH - Darwin Machis (Granada)
Machis electrified Granada with his incredible equaliser, cutting inside off the left wing to unleash a thunderous strike into the back of the net from outside the box. From this point on, the home side more than held their own with Machis and Molina giving them significant threat in the final third of the pitch. Atletico Madrid could have used an attacker with the cutting edge of Machis in this match.
PLAYER RATINGS
Granada - Maximiano 8, Arias 7, German 6, Torrente 5, Neva 5, Isma Ruiz 6, Milla 6, Puertas 8, Machis 9, Molina 8, Suarez 8. Subs - Diaz 5, Escudero 4, Bacca 5, Monchu 4, Eteki 3.
Atletico Madrid - Oblak 5, Trippier 5, Felipe 5, Kondogbia 4, Hermoso 6, Carrasco 6, Koke 5, De Paul 7, Lemar 7, Felix 8, Suarez 4. Subs - Herrera 4, Correa 4, Lodi 6, Cunha 6.
KEY MOMENTS
2’ GOAL! Granada 0-1 Atletico Madrid
An early opener and it's Felix who has found the back of the net! What a strike from the Portuguese attacker! He surged to the edge of the box and then finished with a low effort!
18’ GOAL! Granada 1-1 Atletico Madrid
An equaliser and what an equaliser! Machis picked up the ball on the counter attack on the left side, he cut inside and lashed home a finish from outside the box! What a goal and Granada are level!
45’ GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... NO!
Felix heads the ball into the back of the net, but the referee has whistled for a foul on Suarez. Not sure about that at all! That looked to be a perfectly legitimate goal from Felix!
59’ OFF THE POST!
That would have been an absolute stunner from Felix! The Atletico Madrid attacker beats his man with a lovely piece of skill then SMASHED a strike off the base of the post.
63’ GOAL! Granada 2-1 Atletico Madrid
The goal stands! Granada came flying forward on the counter attack after Felix struck the post and Molina puts the ball in the back of the net on the slide! He was onside when the ball was played in!
KEY STATS
- Atletico Madrid have lost four straight league games for the first time under Diego Simeone while Granada have won three and drawn two of their last five league matches.
- Jorge Molina has been directly in eight goals in his last five La Liga games. Only Bayer Leverkusen's Patrick Schick has had a hand more in the same timeframe in Europe’s top five leagues.
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