Atletico Madrid were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home by Espanyol in La Liga at the Metropolitano on Wednesday. The home side dominated the match, creating numerous chances, but ultimately failed to convert them. Espanyol, who are the only team yet to score in La Liga, showed their defensive prowess, holding firm against the relentless pressure from Atletico.
Espanyol’s goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, made seven crucial saves throughout the match, denying Diego Simeone’s side the win. The visitors also made an impressive 43 clearances, highlighting their commitment to defending their clean sheet.
“This is a difficult place to come, to get a point at the Metropolitano is huge. We go home happy,” Espanyol’s Javi Puado said. “We spoke at halftime after we suffered in the first half. They were finding it easy to put in lots of crosses. But we corrected that in the second half, so this is a valuable point for us.”
Atletico started the match with a strong intent, with Julian Alvarez forcing Joan Garcia into a diving save early on. Samuel Lino nearly put Atletico ahead with a flowing team move, but his shot hit the post. Alexander Sorloth, who scored 23 goals for Villarreal last season, missed a golden opportunity when he dragged his shot wide of the far post.
Atletico thought they had finally scored in the 10th minute of the second half when Rodrigo Riquelme nudged in the ball following a scramble in the box. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside. Riquelme had the ball in the back of the net again in added time, but the linesman’s flag went up once again for offside.
“It was a shame. The first (offside) was because the keeper was so far out of his goal, the second I was definitely in an offside position,” Riquelme explained. “We did everything right until the end but sometimes the ball won’t go in, that’s what happened tonight.”
Espanyol nearly snatched a victory in added time when Puado missed a good chance. “When you get chances against Atletico you have to take them,” he said. “I’m sure a goal will come for us.”
The result leaves Espanyol in 18th place with their first point of the season, while Atletico remain in fourth place with five points.
