31-year-old Álvaro Morata played one of his best games as an Atlético Madrid player by scoring a hattrick against Girona FC at Montilivi in the Spanish La Liga last night, but despite Álvaro Morata’s impressive treble, the visiting Atlético Madrid did not manage to take any points from this Matchday 19 fixture in the league. Girona FC would go on to emerge victorious in this thrilling seven-goal encounter between the second and third best teams in the Spanish top-flight football, drawing level with Real Madrid at the summit of the league table with the 4-3 victory.
Álvaro Morata’s Treble Meant Nothing at the End
Girona FC went ahead inside the opening two minutes of the game thanks to Valery Fernández’s effort. The 24-year-old Spanish full-back received the ball from Pablo Torre just outside the penalty box, before he adjusted his body to lash a sublime long-ranged bomb to score the first goal of the game, opening his league account in 2023/2024 as a result. Not long after Girona FC’s first blood, Álvaro Morata levelled things up for the visitors. The 31-year-old former Real Madrid, Juventus and Chelsea striker was just on side when Antoine Griezmann flicked a pass to him, and he would take a good control of the ball, followed by slotting home the equaliser into the far post.
Girona FC restored and doubled their lead in the span of approximately 13 minutes later in the first 45 minutes with goals from Sávio and Daley Blind. Koke was dispossessed by Iván Martín around the former’s own penalty box, and the midfielder’s subsequent shot was saved by Jan Oblak. Fortunately to Girona FC, the ball did not go far and fell cleanly for Brazilian Sávio to regain Girona FC’s lead. The home side’s cushion increased when Iván Martín’s short corner delivery was flicked towards Blind by Artem Dovbyk, and the Dutchman just could not miss the opportunity to score his first goal for Girona FC since joining them last summer.
Diego Simeone’s side turned to Álvaro Morata for solutions, in which the Spanish international replied with a couple of goals. Moments before half time, 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning midfielder Rodrigo De Paul sent a perfect through ball for Álvaro Morata to have a run into the dangerous zone, where the 31-year-old showed his cool by beating Eric García, before a shot that went past Paulo Gazzaniga. Less than 10 minutes after the restart, Álvaro Morata equalised for Atlético Madrid for the second time in the game, thanks to an incredible run and another flawless through ball by De Paul. Álvaro Morata would dink his shot into the back of the net to make things all square again.
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Alvaro Morata wins MVP of the Match for his hat trick and performance in Atletico Madrid’s 3-4 loss against Girona. 💫🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/gUTDq9XiJV
— LaLigaExtra (@LaLigaExtra) January 3, 2024
Iván Martín’s Late Winner Broke Atlético Madrid’s and Álvaro Morata’s Hearts
Just when Atlético Madrid and Álvaro Morata thought they have salvaged a crucial point in this intriguing matchup in the Spanish La Liga, Girona FC broke the visitors’ hearts right at the death. Iván Martín, who were heavily involved in Girona FC’s goals in the game, displayed his incredible footwork after catching the ball inside the penalty box, followed by a dink shot that resulted into the top right corner of the goal. With that, Girona FC edged past Atlético Madrid and Álvaro Morata with a 4-3 score line, allowing them to be levelled on points with Real Madrid in the league table at 48 points apiece after 19 games.
Álvaro Morata: “I Don’t Care About My Hattrick, I Want to Win Games.”
Álvaro Morata said this when asked upon Atlético Madrid‘s performances throughout the evening: “High-intensity game. I think we had the chance to win the game, and we made mistakes. We need to look back to the game and improve from the mistakes, because it is a long season.” The 31-year-old Álvaro Morata also added a few words on his hattrick, where he brushed off the importance of the treble since it did not give his side any points. “I don’t care, I want to win games. We need to work, and work hard. We will have to focus on the Copa del Rey (Against CD Luco) and Supercopa de España (Versus Real Madrid) next.”
Álvaro Morata ended his post-match interview by offering compliments to Girona FC, who are the current second best team in the Spanish top-flight football. “They played good, it is not a new thing. They have a good team, and they play fast with the ball, they also defend the ball well. We will have to try to catch up with them and the top teams in the league table.”
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