Atletico Madrid battled hard for a crucial 3-1 Champions League victory over Union St. Gilloise, with Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, and Marcos Llorente sealing the win despite late pressure from the Belgian side.
Atletico Madrid secured a vital 3-1 Champions League victory against Union St. Gilloise, though they were “pushed to the limit” by the Belgian side in a highly entertaining match.
According to Football-Espana reporting, the win provides a crucial boost after consecutive defeats in the competition, yet highlighted persistent defensive vulnerabilities.
Atletico struggled to assert themselves early on, with the pace of Kevin Rodriguez and Ousseynou Niang exploiting space down the left flank of the Madrid defence.
Despite the difficulties, Los Colchoneros broke the deadlock just before halftime through Julian Alvarez. The goal was a result of brilliant work by Giuliano Simeone, who squared the ball for Alvarez to volley home following a high first touch. An Antoine Griezmann tap-in was correctly ruled out for offside moments later.
The second half saw substitute Alexander Sorloth inject new life into the attack for Diego Simeone’s side.
However, USG remained a major threat. With ten minutes remaining, a towering header from Ross Sykes off a Sofiane Boufal corner levelled the scores, raising anxiety at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The match became stretched, producing chances at both ends. USG nearly snatched the lead, but substitute Louis Patris could only head softly into Jan Oblak’s hands.
Atletico finally settled the contest with two late goals. After an initial shot was brilliantly saved by USG goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, Marcos Llorente was on hand to finish the rebound.
Moments later, Sorloth burst through again before setting up Thiago Almada, whose shot was parried by Scherpen, allowing Llorente to fire home the winner.
The win moves Atletico to six points, but the report notes many supporters will be wondering “if it was too easy to cause chaos for a backline that had been playing well in the second half.”