Atlético Madrid secured a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Real Sociedad at Anoeta, with all three goals arriving in the final stages of a tightly contested La Liga fixture. Alejandro Grimaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot, followed by Jonathan David’s first goal for the club, and a late strike from Giuliano Simeone.
Match Summary
The match remained goalless for much of the opening hour, with both sides creating limited clear-cut opportunities. Real Sociedad enjoyed periods of pressure and held more possession, but struggled to truly test Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Atlético Madrid, meanwhile, had early attempts from Kang-In Lee and Morten Hjulmand, and also had to contend with Real Sociedad’s threats from set pieces, including a chance for Luka Sucic and a free-kick from Sergio Gómez that required a save from Oblak.
The turning point arrived in the 81st minute when the ball struck Job Ochieng’s hand inside the area, leading referee Juan Martínez Munuera to award a penalty. Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up and converted the spot-kick, marking his first goal for Atlético Madrid and breaking the deadlock.
With Real Sociedad pushing for an equaliser, Atlético capitalised on the increased space. Jonathan David scored his inaugural goal for the club after receiving a pass from Grimaldo, holding off Sergio Gómez, and finishing clinically. Giuliano Simeone then completed the scoring late on, adding a third goal after a strong individual run to seal a significant away win.
Despite Real Sociedad having 53.6% possession compared to Atlético’s 46.4%, the visitors were more incisive in attack, recording 11 shots to Real Sociedad’s four. The scoreline ultimately reflected Atlético’s clinical finishing in the closing stages of the game.
Post-Match Reactions
Following the match, Real Sociedad goalkeeper Álex Remiro expressed his disagreement with the penalty decision, arguing that the ball had rebounded before striking Ochieng’s hand. He also felt that the final score did not accurately reflect Real Sociedad’s performance prior to the penalty incident.
For Atlético Madrid, Alejandro Grimaldo described the victory as crucial, especially coming after two previous defeats. He also commented on his difficult start to the season, attributing it to a lack of a proper pre-season following the World Cup, but noted that he felt his performance level was improving. A representative for Atlético Madrid, Victoria, stated that the team was still in a building process with room for further improvement, and credited the substitutions, particularly the introduction of a more advanced striker in Jonathan David, with helping to change the dynamic of the game.