December 22, (THEWILL) – Atletico Madrid lost for the fourth time in a row in La Liga after Diego Simeone’s team squandered an early lead against Granada at the Los Carmenes Stadium.
Simeone had never lost four consecutive league matches as Atleti manager previously, but this performance and outcome emphasised the defending Spanish champions’ current collapse.
The visitors scored after only two minutes, with Felix driving to the edge of the opposing box and finishing comfortably as Atletico Madrid attempted to seize control of the game early.
But, after 18 minutes, Granada equalised when Darwin Machis cut through from the left flank on the break and unleashed a fierce drive that struck the top corner of Jan Oblak’s net.
Just before halftime, Felix thought he had scored a second goal to put Atleti back in front, but his header was ruled out for an extremely controversial foul on Machis.
In the second half, Jorge Molina gave Granada the lead, with VAR spotting that the 39-year-old was onside before gliding in to finish past Jan Oblak as Atleti were taken off guard.
There were no other goals in the game meaning defending champions Atletico Madrid are now in fifth place, 14 points behind Real Madrid at the top of the table, while Granada is presently in 12th place, seven points clear of relegation danger.
Atletico Madrid opened brightly and took the lead after just two minutes of play, with Felix in particular enthused. However, as they allowed Granada back into the game, the defending La Liga winners began to face familiar challenges.
Atleti has now falling short consecutive games and is 14 points behind the leaders. Simeone will be confronted with further questions as a result of this outcome and will be required to provide answers quickly.
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.
