Atletico Madrid 2-1 Valencia: Touch of class from Griezmann snaps losing run

Atletico Madrid returned to winning ways in LaLiga after Antoine Griezmann secured a 2-1 win over Valencia with a brilliant goal.

Lucas Beltran cancelled out Koke's opener for Atleti, but Griezmann came off the bench to secure all three points for the hosts in the 74th minute and end a two-game losing run in the Spanish top-flight.

Diego Simeone's side suffered a scare after just 22 seconds when Hugo Duro rattled the crossbar, while Alexander Sorloth was denied by a great save from Julen Agirrezabala soon after at the other end.

Koke broke the deadlock in the 17th minute, reacting quickest to a rebound in the box after Valencia failed to clear a corner, before Atleti were let off the hook again when Pepelu saw an equaliser disallowed due to an offside in the build-up.

But the visitors found the leveller shortly after the hour mark as Andre Almeida and Beltran moved the ball around the edge of the Atleti box before the latter fired a powerful effort beyond a diving Jan Oblak.

It was Griezmann, however, who had the last say as he took down a long ball from Marc Pubill with an exquisite touch in the box before beating the Valencia goalkeeper at the near post.

Sorloth found the back of the net four minutes later, only to see his strike ruled out for offside, but it mattered little as they managed to see the win through at the Metropolitano.

Data Debrief: Griezmann the super sub

It took a moment of class from Griezmann to separate the two sides, with Atleti producing 1.01 expected goals (xG) from 10 shots to Valencia's 1.28 from 13 attempts.

The Frenchman took the headlines in the Spanish capital, but Atleti skipper Koke was also a difference maker. Along with his goal, he recorded the most touches for his side (84), most accurate passes (63), won possession the most often (nine), won three of his five tackles and six of his nine duels.

Griezmann has now scored five goals in La Liga 2025-26, all from the bench, making him the highest-scoring substitute in the top five European leagues this season.

He has also scored 14 goals in 27 appearances against Valencia in LaLiga, more than he has managed against any other opponent in his career in the competition.