January 14, (THEWILL) — Atletico Madrid progressed to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over second-tier Deportivo La Coruna, claiming their first win of 2026 after their Supercopa de Espana semi-final elimination.
The visitors dominated the opening period, with Julian Alvarez drawing an early save from German Parreno before Matteo Ruggeri struck the right post. Griezmann hit the crossbar four minutes before the interval, whilst Marcos Llorente fired wide to conclude a one-sided first half.
Diego Simeone’s side broke through in the 61st minute when Griezmann curled a free-kick into the top-right corner, leaving Parreno with no chance. The French forward’s set-piece precision gave Atletico the advantage they had threatened throughout.
Deportivo responded with Adria Alti testing Juan Musso, but clear openings remained scarce for the hosts. Atletico dropped deeper to protect their lead, inviting pressure without serious consequence.
Samuele Mulattieri headed over the bar with 11 minutes remaining in what proved the final significant moment. The narrow victory maintains Atletico’s pursuit of silverware in Spain’s domestic cup competition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
