Atletico Madrid’s La Liga title aspirations suffered a significant setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Espanyol.The match, which saw few clear-cut chances, was marked by a stunning volley from Cesar Azpilicueta, who opened the scoring with his first Atletico goal since joining from Chelsea in 2023.
Azpilicueta’s strike, which came from 25 yards out, was a moment of individual brilliance that seemed to have secured all three points for Atletico.
However, the visitors’ joy was short-lived, as they gifted Espanyol a route back into the match with 20 minutes left.
Clement Lenglet’s foul on Leandro Cabrera in the box resulted in a penalty, which winger Javi Puado duly converted past Jan Oblak.
“We’re disappointed with the result, as we felt we did enough to win the game,” said Atletico manager, Diego Simeone. “However, we have to accept that we made a mistake that cost us the three points.”
Atletico pushed hard in search of a late winner, with former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez coming closest, only to see his effort go narrowly wide from just inside the area.
Despite their dominance, Atletico were unable to find the breakthrough, and were forced to settle for a draw.
The result leaves Atletico six points behind leaders Barcelona and three behind second-placed Real Madrid, having played a game more than both sides. Espanyol, meanwhile, remain 15th, two points clear of the relegation zone.
“We know we have to improve our results if we want to stay in the top four,” added Simeone. “We’ll keep working hard and try to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.”
With Barcelona hosting Girona on Sunday and Real Madrid in action later on Saturday against Leganes, Atletico’s title hopes are beginning to slip away.
However, Simeone’s side will be looking to bounce back from this setback and keep their title aspirations alive.
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