BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
At the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid
IT WAS a night built for a legendary goodbye, but it was defined by two modern superstars who refused to let the script go awry.
Antoine Griezmann walked off his beloved Riyadh Air Metropolitano pitch for the final time in tears, given a thunderous standing ovation by a faithful Madrid crowd.
But while the French icon’s emotional farewell caught the cameras, it was January signing Ademola Lookman and a brick-wall performance from goalkeeper Jan Oblak that truly secured the spoils.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid scraped a narrow, yet drama-filled 1-0 victory over a desperate, relegation-threatened Girona side on Sunday evening.
The result solidified Atletico’s powerhouse status ahead of their final domestic outings, while plunging Girona into a hellish final-day survival shootout.
The pre-match atmosphere was thick with nostalgia. Griezmann, the orchestrator of so many famous nights in the Spanish capital, led the line knowing this was his final bow in front of the home support.
And it didn’t take long for the Frenchman to show his class.
In the 20th minute, the World Cup winner rolled back the years. Picking up the ball on the edge of the area, he drove forward with that trademark razor-sharp vision and delivered a perfectly weighted, low, teasing cross across the six-yard box.
Waiting at the back post was former Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman. The Nigerian international, who has hit the ground running since his January switch, sniffed out the chance flawlessly, tapping home from close range to make it 1-0.
It was Lookman’s fourth La Liga goal of the campaign, and arguably his most meaningful, providing the perfect assist-to-goal gift for the departing Griezmann.