By Our Spanish Football Correspondent in
MADRID
ALEXANDER SORLOTH cemented his status as the new King of the Metropolitano with a dramatic 93rd-minute winner to break Athletic Bilbao hearts.
In a La Liga clash that had more twists than a Madrid side-street, Diego Simeone’s men roared back from a goal down at the break to claim a vital 3-2 victory. It was a night where the stars didn’t just shine—they exploded.
For 45 minutes, it looked like the Madrid faithful were in for a long walk home. The Basque visitors took the lead in the 23rd minute when Aitor Paredes silenced the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, nodding home after Atleti’s defense went AWOL.
Simeone, ever the frantic conductor on the touchline, clearly found the right notes at half-time. Whatever was said in that dressing room worked, and it worked fast.
Enter Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman remains the heartbeat of this side, and in the 49th minute, he reminded everyone why. Finding a pocket of space that didn’t exist seconds earlier, he lashed a left-footed strike into the bottom corner to level the scores.
The stadium was still shaking from Griezmann’s brilliance when Alexander Sorloth decided to join the party. Just five minutes later, the Norwegian powerhouse rose highest to meet a pinpoint cross from Alex Baena, powering a header home to turn the game on its head.
But Bilbao aren’t known for rolling over. As the clock ticked into “Simeone Time,” the drama shifted into overdrive:
90+3 Mins: Sorloth looked to have ended the contest, clinical as ever to make it 3-1 after being played through by Nahuel Molina.
90+7 Mins: Athletic Club’s Gorka Guruzeta set up a heart-stopping finale, glancing a header past Jan Oblak to make it 3-2.
THE VERDICT
Ultimately, it was the Sorloth and Griezmann show that stole the headlines. While Bilbao fought like lions, they had no answer for Atleti’s “Big Two” when the pressure reached boiling point.
The win keeps Atletico firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish, proving that even when they make it hard for themselves, they still have the star power to blast their way out of trouble.
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Gimenez, Reinildo; Baena, Koke, Barrios, Lino; Griezmann, Sorloth.
ATHLETIC CLUB (4-2-3-1): Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri; Galarreta, Prados; I. Williams, Sancet, N. Williams; Guruzeta.
Who do you think has been the more impactful signing for Atleti this season: the clinical Sorloth or the creative Baena?
