Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atletico Madrid won a 10th win in a row in all competitions with a comfortable 3-1 home victory over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Slovan is stuck at the bottom of the 36-team league after losing all six games and missing out on the playoffs, while Atletico climbed up to 10th place with 12 points from six games.
In addition to his striking partner Julian Alvarez’s well-taken opening goal, Griezmann scored for the sixth straight game with a header in the first half and a straightforward finish at the near post in the second half. At 2-1, David Strelec earned a penalty kick and converted it himself to give Slovan a brief comeback.
In the first half, Tigran Barseghyan also hit the crossbar. With 21 goals in their last five games across all competitions, free-scoring Atletico may have had more in this match as well, but they were wasteful in the closing third. Within 16 minutes, Slovan gave Alvarez too much time and space on the edge of the box, and he fired a precise shot into the top corner to give the home team the lead. It was Alvarez’s 12th goal of the season.
With a brilliant counterattack that ended with Barseghyan’s shot hitting the crossbar, the visitors nearly equalized. Three minutes prior to halftime, Atletico scored a straightforward goal to increase their lead.
Griezmann climbed above the still defenders to head the ball into the net after Marcos Llorente stretched to send a deep cross to the back post.When Strelec’s heel was touched by Clement Lenglet in the box, Slovan was given a penalty kick. Strelec scored his fourth goal of the season from the spot kick.
However, Griezmann scored his second goal to increase the Atletico’s lead once more, shattering any hopes of a comeback. He beat Slovan goalkeeper Dominik Takac at his near post after being slipped into space in the six-yard area.
