Atletico Madrid beat Alaves to extend their league run

Atletico Madrid left Mendizorrotza with a 2-1 win over Alaves, their fourth consecutive league victory. The points took Diego Simeone's side to 19, two behind FC Barcelona in the standings after a game that swung late and needed a header from Cristian Romero to settle it.

The opening goal and the turning point

Alvarez and Robin Le Normand were not the main men here, because the decisive early work came from Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David. Grimaldo scored in the 33rd minute after combining with David, and that was the first time Atletico had broken through.

Alaves hit back before the interval through Lucas Boyé's penalty in first-half stoppage time. The match stayed level until the 61st minute, when Ángel Pérez was sent off after VAR intervention. Alejandro Quintero González initially showed yellow, then changed it to red after the review.

Romero finished the job

Atletico pushed hard once they had the extra man, and the winner arrived in the 87th minute. Estadio Deportivo reported that Álex Baena delivered the cross and Romero rose to meet it with a powerful header that went in at the back post.

The result fits a solid start to the 2026-27 season for Atletico, who have now won four league matches in a row and sit on 19 points. Romero's late goal was only his first league strike of the campaign, but it was the one that kept Atletico within two points of Barcelona after a difficult away test.