Atlético Madrid squeezed past a much-improved Valencia side in the early kick-off at the Metropolitano on Saturday afternoon. Goals from two players who were to take backseat roles at the club at the start of the season, Koke and Antoine Griezmann, ensured a 2-1 win for the hosts.
In the last home match of 2025, the traditional Santa hats were on the heads of those present in the stadium, but the festive mood was put on hold as Atlético came out of the blocks limping. A fortunate break in play allowed
Koke to put his side ahead going into the break, but Atleti had created little to nothing.
Valencia pulled the game back level, deservedly so, when Lucas Beltrán showed some fancy feet and a fine finish from outside of the area. But Griezmann was on hand to win the game, as he has been so many times over the years, displaying a quite extraordinary touch and finish.
Here are Into the Calderón’s player ratings for this one.
Player Ratings
Jan Oblak: Twice came rushing off his line which almost led to a Valencia goal on both occasions. Couldn’t do much about Beltrán’s fine goal which had the visitors level for 10 nervy minutes. 4
Nahuel Molina: Began his assault to be the afternoon’s grinch after just 20 seconds, when a miscommunication with Giuliano produced a wayward pass into Hugo Duro, who luckily missed his golden chance. Right now, I can’t think of a player so incapable of performing such basic tasks on a football pitch. The pressure he feels must be enormous, and if fan patience was wearing thin with him, it’s down to the width of a hair now. Hooked off at half-time, thankfully. 1
Marc Pubill: I’ve been hesitant to fully throw myself onto the Pubill hype train, given he’s still in his formative Atlético years. The one quality Diego Simeone highlighted, when he announced that Pubill would be converted to a center-back, was his 193cm height. The more I watch him play, the more I see how he uses his body to muscle players off the ball, instead of launching into tackles. Another proof of why El Cholo continues to have one of the best footballing minds: he sees things that few others do. His switch to right center-back/right-back hybrid in the second half allowed him to display another string to his bow; the beautiful ball he played over the top to assist Griezmann’s goal was wonderful. Picked up a deserved MVP of the match. 8
Dávid Hancko: This guy is FAST! A good defensive performance from the Slovakian, solid as ever in the back line. He wasn’t so precise with his passing as you’d like, but if just one of those long-rangers finds its intended target, Atleti would have a good chance on goal. 5
Matteo Ruggeri: Some interesting moments from the Italian today, not least his 20-yard back heel that fell into the path of a Valencia player in a promising situation. A hardworking performance from Ruggeri, but not one with a whole lot of quality. 4
Giuliano Simeone: Definitely seems reluctant to make his typical surging runs up the wing when he’s got Molina to think about behind him. The switch in the second half saw him higher up the pitch, sometimes falling into a center-forward’s position. He’ll be having nightmares of that header missed with the scores at 1-1. 5
Koke: Koquito! The genuine elation that flowed when the ball hit the back of the net was much more than the usual when a goal goes in at the Metropolitano. Today’s opener was just his fourth goal in the past six seasons, and no-one deserves an early Christmas present more than him. His play reminded me of a rugby scrum-half in the way that he was always available to play off when his teammates were looking to get out from the back. 8
Pablo Barrios: Sometimes, when players get taken off, it creates a feeling of unease due to how well they were playing. Today, when Pablo’s number eight came up on the board, I was slightly concerned. Four minutes later, Valencia scored the goal they were looking for all game. I thought Barrios’ energy was above the team average which was generally low. 6
Nico González: I enjoyed Nico’s performance today, but the question still remains as to how he is going to become more involved going forward. I don’t have the answer, and I live in hope that those responsible to find the answers can do quickly. 5
Julián Alvarez: Way off the mark today, just half a beat off the rhythm. It was against Valencia at home that he scored his first Atleti goal last season, and he could have really done with one today too. We can’t be too hot to judge, it’s about time someone else stepped up to have a regular hand in the team’s goals. However, Alvarez is the star player and his contributions have become worryingly dry of late. 3
Alexander Sørloth: I feel for Sørloth as his size regularly sees him punished for “fouls” that are simply just his opponents bouncing off his large frame. Recently, he seems more involved in play, often deeper than where we are used to seeing him, offering his touch and hold-up play. Unfortunately, not many seem willing to run off him, which leaves the Norwegian without options. Finished well to make it 3-1 after being played through, but had timed his run ever so slightly late, and his goal didn’t count. 6
Substitutes
Robin Le Normand: Very pleasing to see him back in a commanding role in the middle of a three-man defence for the second half. Anyone coming on to replace Molina would have looked good, so maybe my rating is skewed by my relief more than anything. 5
Conor Gallagher: Made some good tackles and was key in keeping the game at a frustrating rhythm for Valencia once the lead was taken, but really struggles to even find a pass go how he wants it to these days. 3
Antoine Griezmann: Que puto golazo, joder. Simeone’s reaction to Griezmann’s exquisite brilliance was to put his palms together, prayer style, and thank the forever-reliable Saint of Winning Goals. An absolute broadcasting travesty that the LALIGA TV commentators were about as enthused as Florentino Pérez would have been watching that. It was a goal worthy of Gary Neville noises. Jeremy knows… 7
Thiago Almada: Skinned alive by his fellow Argentine Beltrán, just minutes after coming onto the pitch. His compatriot made him looked silly and finished well from outside the box. From then on, nothing much to report about the little man. 3
