Atlético de Madrid on Saturday night put in something of a vintage display against Osasuna, shrugging off early controversy around a disallowed Álex Baena goal to win 1-0 after Thiago Almada — another new arrival — tapped in Giuliano Simeone’s cross in the 69th minute. Jan Oblak’s spectacular late save on Ante Budimir helped the lead stand up, and the resultant Atlético victory saw Los Rojiblancos move into LaLiga’s top four for the first time this season after nine rounds of play.
Signed from Botafogo
for around €20 million over the summer, Almada had not played a competitive fixture in six weeks before he replaced Baena in the 63rd minute of Saturday’s game. It wasn’t a perfect display for the Argentina international — he struggled out of possession, especially as Osasuna pushed for an equalizer late on — but his goal deserves a closer look.
The sequence for Almada’s goal begins with Pablo Barrios, as many of Atlético’s brightest moments do.
Following a clearance out of the Osasuna area, Dávid Hancko recovers the ball and quickly lays it off to Barrios, who skips to his right to create a pocket of space. He then executes a perfect switch of play to Giuliano, who takes down the ball with a deft first touch.
Giuliano — rightly — has been criticized at times for his ball control, which sometimes manifests in a leaden first touch. His ability to bring down this venomous Barrios pass though is absolutely vital to what comes next.
Matched up 1v1 with Abel Bretones, Giuliano turns and shoots the gap, exhibiting close control that is almost as impressive as his acceleration into the penalty area. And as soon as Giuliano cuts to his right, Almada starts his decisive run into the penalty area.
Alexander Sørloth has been heavily criticized this season for his languid, passive play amid a drop in goal production; his expected goals per 90 minutes rate has fallen off a cliff, from an elite 0.97 in 2024/25 to an average 0.41 in 2025/26. But Sørloth is a 6’5” giant who moves well off the ball when he’s motivated to do so — on paper, sometimes in practice, a tough combination for any defense to handle.
In the screengrab below, Giuliano’s delayed cross and Sørloth’s body positioning have combined to cause panic and indecision in the rapidly-collapsing Osasuna defense. Goalkeeper Sergio Herrera is too close to his near post; Boyomo is trying to mark Sørloth; Alejandro Catena is caught somewhere in the middle.
Though this space comes Almada, completely undetected. And all he has to do is stick out his left boot and guide the ball past Herrera, who reacts a split second too late amidst the confusion in his defense.
Thank goodness for Thiago — and thank goodness for Real Betis’ late rally at Villarreal, which saw Atlético finally break into the Champions League places. Betis are Atlético’s next opponents in LaLiga; the Colchoneros’ visit to Estadio Benito Villamarín next Monday night, one day after the season’s first Clásico, looks like it will be a pivotal matchup.
Premier League leaders Arsenal are next up. The Gunners will be a great test for an Atleti side that is playing nice football but still lacks the decisiveness in both penalty areas, the quality that separates contenders from pretenders. Arsenal too have been accused of missing a title-winning killer instinct under Mikel Arteta’s management; the Spaniard also has shown that he is willing to cede possession and frustrate opponents, a trait on which much of Simeone’s reputation has been forged.
Almada’s goal-scoring return — as well as Baena’s promising hour of play — adds two weapons to Simeone’s arsenal just in time to face the football club of the same name. Alongside Barrios, the ball recovery ace and emerging todocampista, this trio will have the platform to produce some magic at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
