News
SÁB 14.12.2024
At 14:00 CET this Sunday December 15th, Atlético de Madrid host Getafe CF at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. It’ll be a meeting of two teams with distinct styles, as Diego Simeone and José Bordalás have consistently achieved success with their squads in very different ways. They do have one thing in common, though, as it’s hard to score against them, with Atlético de Madrid letting in just 11 goals so far and Getafe CF only 13.
Atleti go into the game in high spirits after last weekend’s epic comeback against Sevilla FC in front of their home fans, and they are inching ever closer to the top of the LALIGA EA SPORTS table. Meanwhile, Getafe CF hope to keep picking up points in their efforts to avoid relegation. They have beaten two direct rivals in the past three matchdays, so also enter this round with confidence.
Neutrals, meanwhile, will hope this game is as exciting as the one that took place between these clubs at Atlético de Madrid’s stadium last season. On December 19th 2023, just four days later than the date on which the match will be played this year, Getafe CF visited Atlético de Madrid and they played out an epic battle.
Getafe CF started well and, at times, dominated Los Rojiblancos. Mason Greenwood stood out and Bordalás’ side were given extra hope when Stefan Savić was shown a second yellow card in the 38th minute for a foul on Jaime Mata.
Everything seemed to be going the way of Los Azulones, but, on the stroke of half-time, Rodrigo Riquelme’s cross was turned in by Antoine Griezmann to open the scoring. That made it 1-0 and Getafe CF entered the dressing room unsure how they were behind.
But, Geta continued to look for the opposition goal and pulled one back via Borja Mayoral, who ended up sharing the 2023/24 Zarra Trophy with Álvaro Morata, as the top-scoring Spanish player.
Atlético de Madrid’s individual quality prevailed again, and it was Morata himself who broke the deadlock again in the 63rd minute after a shot from inside the box.
Then, in the 69th minute, came one of the most iconic moments in Atlético de Madrid’s recent history. The referee awarded a penalty for Los Colchoneros, and it was Antoine Griezmann who took responsibility for not only scoring his second goal of the night but also adding to his Atlético de Madrid legacy by equalling Luis Aragonés as the club's all-time top scorer with 173 goals. He received a resounding ovation from the fans for this historic feat.
For the hosts, it seemed that they’d mark this historic day with three points. However, Getafe FC managed to fight back, with Óscar Rodríguez scoring one in the 87th minute and then, well into stoppage time, a penalty was awarded and Mayoral netted his second of the game, to make it a final score of 3-3.
That was certainly a thrilling game, one that everyone who was there that day remembers. Will this year’s rematch be just as great?
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