Atletico Madrid’s hopes in the LaLiga title race took another hit on Sunday as they were held to a thrilling 1–1 draw by Real Sociedad at Anoeta Stadium.
The match was packed with action, especially after halftime, when Goncalo Guedes cancelled out Alexander Sorloth’s opener in a rapid five-minute spell. With this result, Atletico remain fourth in the table with 38 points, level with Villarreal (third), who still have two games in hand. More worryingly for Atletico fans, their team is now 11 points behind league leaders Barcelona.
Real Sociedad, meanwhile, have something to celebrate. With a new coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo, in charge, the team moved up to 15th on 18 points, putting a little breathing room between themselves and the relegation zone.
After the game, Atletico forward Giuliano Simeone voiced his frustration: “We’re not happy, we wanted the three points. They outplayed us in the first half with their intensity. Their pressing was very aggressive and we couldn’t find a way through. We changed things up after the break and had our chances, but it wasn’t enough.”
The match started at a frantic pace. Real Sociedad nearly took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Sorloth tried to turn in a Carlos Soler free kick, but his effort was ruled offside. Despite mounting pressure from the hosts, it was Atletico who struck first. Just five minutes into the second half, Simeone raced down the right and delivered a perfect cross for Sorloth, who rose unmarked to head home and put Atletico in front.
Real Sociedad didn’t take long to respond. Five minutes later, Guedes scored a powerful goal after a slick counterattack, finishing off a precise pass from Takefusa Kubo. The hosts continued to push, with chances at both ends in the closing stages. Jan Oblak made a pair of key saves to deny Kubo, Antoine Griezmann missed a golden opportunity when he went one-on-one with Alex Remiro, and Soler’s late shot went just wide.
“We prepared well. It’s a shame we didn’t get the win because there are days when the opposition deserve it more, but today, we were the better side,” Kubo said after the game. “The fans can see the team is trying to improve and move forward. We showed more determination than they did.”
Atletico now
