Atletico stumbles again in La Liga after draw at Espanyol
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Atletico Madrid's slim hopes of fighting for the La Liga title faded further after drawing at Espanyol 1-1 on Saturday.
The stalemate left Diego Simeone's side six points behind leader Barcelona and three behind Real Madrid before both play games this weekend. After that, there will be nine rounds left.
Atletico entered the match following back-to-back La Liga losses to Getafe and Barcelona, interspersed with two losses to Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.
It suffered a third straight slip in the domestic competition after relinquishing the lead at Espanyol.
César Azpilicueta put Atletico ahead in the 38th minute with a spectacular volley of a clearance by an Espanyol defender that fell to him outside the area.
It was the 35-year-old Azpilicueta's first career goal in La Liga. The defender played for Osasuna from 2007-10 and joined Atletico in 2023 after a successful stint at Chelsea, where he won the Champions League.
But Espanyol pressed forward in the second half, and Javi Puado converted a penalty to level in the 71st after Clement Lenglet pulled down Leandro Cabrera while disputing a cross in the box.
Espanyol, in 15th place, is undefeated in nine home games, a run which included a shock win over Real Madrid.
Also, Mikel Oyarzabal and Sergio Gómez scored as Real Sociedad beat last-placed Valladolid 2-1.
Griezmann passes Messi
Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann set a new record for games played by a foreigner in La Liga with 521 appearances. The French forward surpassed the 520 games played by Lionel Messi of Argentina.
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