Overview

• Álvarez scored in the 15th minute, leveled in the 80th, and sealed the result in the 88th with a left-foot strike from outside the box.
• The victory was Atlético’s second in six league games, placing them ninth and nine points behind Real Madrid ahead of Saturday’s derby.
• The Argentina forward had missed a penalty in the 1-1 draw at Mallorca the previous weekend.
• Footage of his visible frustration after being substituted in that match circulated widely, though Simeone later called him the team’s best player and framed the change as tactical.
• Former coach Hugo Rafael Varas said he does not see Álvarez comfortable at Atlético and suggested links to Barcelona, keeping transfer speculation in the conversation.