Atlético Madrid edge Deportivo 1-0 as Julián Álvarez scores again and Oblak saves it late

Atlético Madrid kept pace at the top of LaLiga on Saturday, Oct. 24, beating Deportivo La Coruña 1-0 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Julián Álvarez scored the only goal in the 48th minute, and goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a stoppage-time save to protect the win.

The result moves Diego Simeone’s side to 25 points from 10 games, two behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand and face Real Madrid in Sunday’s Clásico, ESPN reported.

Atlético Madrid vs. Deportivo: final score and stats

Stats are from BBC Sport, which listed the attendance at 68,674. José María Sánchez Martínez was the referee.

A tough first half for Atlético

Deportivo, coached by Antonio Hidalgo, made life hard for the hosts before the break. Spanish broadcaster RTVE described a well-organized visiting side that sat in a compact shape and denied Atlético space.

Oblak was the busier goalkeeper early. ESPN said he saved a header from defender Miguel Loureiro, then made two quick stops midway through the half to keep out a long-range effort from Yeremay Hernández and Lorenzo Amatucci’s follow-up. RTVE noted that Oblak spilled Yeremay’s free kick before Amatucci’s close-range shot hit him.

Atlético’s own attempts from Lee Kang-in, Pablo Barrios and Morten Hjulmand all missed the target, and RTVE reported some whistles from the home crowd at halftime.

Julián Álvarez’s goal after Simeone’s halftime changes

Simeone made a double change at the break, sending on his son Giuliano Simeone and defender Robin Le Normand for Barrios and Ademola Lookman. It paid off almost at once. Three minutes into the second half, Alejandro Grimaldo delivered the cross and Álvarez finished from close range.

That made it two goals in two games for the Argentine forward, who also scored the equalizer in Atlético’s 1-1 Champions League draw at Stuttgart on Tuesday, ESPN said. ESPN reported it was his first league start of the season and his first LaLiga goal in front of Atlético’s home fans since November 2025. ESPN also noted that Álvarez had been at the center of a contentious transfer saga involving Barcelona over the summer.

RTVE wrote that the goals are helping Álvarez win back home supporters, with the whistles he had faced now “almost nonexistent” (translated).

Oblak’s late save

Atlético pushed for a second goal. Álex Baena forced a save from Deportivo goalkeeper Leo Román, and Dávid Hancko and Giuliano Simeone fired over, ESPN said. Román also denied Álvarez and Simeone.

But Atlético never put the game away, and it nearly cost them. In the final moments, Deportivo substitute Kevin Sánchez had a shot from close range that Oblak saved. RTVE called it an “incredible” miss, with Kevin firing straight at the goalkeeper (translated).

LaLiga standings after Atlético Madrid vs. Deportivo

According to the BBC Sport table after Saturday’s games:

Reports differed on the length of Atlético’s run. ESPN said the win stretched their unbeaten streak to eight matches, while RTVE counted six straight league games without a loss. Their six-game winning run in all competitions had ended with the draw at Stuttgart.

Deportivo, in 10th place, have now gone six games without a league win, based on the BBC Sport form guide.

FAQ