Atletico stumbles again in La Liga after draw at Espanyol
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.
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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.
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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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