Following his return to Atlético Madrid from fellow Spanish La Liga side Barcelona after a rather disappointing spell, Antoine Griezmann has revived his professional career as the versatile and multifunctional footballer we used to know in recent times. The vice captain of the France national team provided goal contributions of 15 and 35 goals in his first two seasons back at the club (The first being a loan deal from Barca), before racing to match his last season’s scoring total of 16 goals in 25 lesser games in 2023/2024, including his brace against Getafe CF in last night’s La Liga fixture. With the couple of goals, Antoine Griezmann also became Atlético’s joint all-time top scorer.
A First-Half Goal Kickstarted a Scoring Frenzy in the Following 45 Minutes
The six-goal thriller did not start with goals, but a couple of yellow cards given to Stefan Savić. The 32-year-old ex-Manchester City man received his first in the 15th minute, before being given the marching orders almost half an hour later. It was the player’s eighth red card in his Atlético Madrid career. Surprise to many, the 10-man home side broke the deadlock first in the match, thanks to Antoine Griezmann’s first of his brace in the game. The Frenchman had to thank Rodrigo Riquelme for his exquisite delivery into the penalty box, who was converted by the former with ease. The opening half of the game ended with Atlético Madrid leading 1-0.
The following 45 minutes were where the scoring spree happened. Borja Mayoral levelled things up for Getafe, when Mason Greenwood’s shot was parried by Jan Oblak, but the save did not go as desired as he wanted, falling before the 26-year-old Mayoral to head in the equaliser. Álvaro Morata, who came onto the pitch in the 57th minute, went on to regain the lead for Atlético Madrid, following another superb cross and thumping header, this time delivered by Marcos Llorente.
With Atlético Madrid 2-1 up at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, Madrid, Antoine Griezmann gave the roaring home fans more things to cheer for, by scoring the goal that tied Luis Aragonés’s all-time scoring record for the club. Antoine Griezmann, who turns 33 in three months’ time, scored from the spot via the top right corner, after his teammate was fouled in the dangerous zone. The Frenchman’s emotions were echoed by everyone in the stadium, having scored his 173rd goal for Atlético Madrid, more so the milestone was done in six lesser games than club legend Aragonés.
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Antoine Griezmann’s Record-Tying Match Could Have Been Sweeter with a Win
Antoine Griezmann’s second goal of the evening came with the game still have 21 minutes remaining on the clock, and Getafe CF finally utilised their advantage in terms of the number of players in the final moments of the game. 72nd-minute substitute Óscar Rodríguez, pulled off some amazing footwork, followed by a deflected shot that pulled one back for the visitors, leaving Antoine Griezmann’s personal triumph short-lived.
The home fans’ hearts were broken on this historical night in the last seconds of the match, thanks to Mayoral’s second goal. The Spanish striker was given the chance to take a penalty off a handball by Atlético, before he sent the goalkeeper to the wrong way to make the game all square again. Both teams did not have enough time to find the winning goal, meaning the game would end honest even in a six-goal Spanish La Liga sensation.
More on ex-Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood’s tenure with Getafe CF in the Spanish La Liga can be read via this link: https://www.otherleague.com/soccer/greenwoods-current-stats-for-getafe/
Guarden este tuit. Es un tuit para la historia.
𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗭𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 ❤️ 𝗟𝗨𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗘́𝗦
¡Grizi iguala a Luis Aragonés como máximo goleador de la historia del Atleti! pic.twitter.com/E24BoVyAaZ
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) December 19, 2023
Antoine Griezmann: “In the End I Wanted the Three Points.”
Despite tying club legend Aragonés for the all-time goal scoring record at Atlético Madrid, Antoine Griezmann was not satisfied with the 3-3 result. The 32-year-old France international had this to say during the post-match conference of the Matchday 17 fixture of the Spanish La Liga: “In the end I wanted the three points. It is a pity that we made great efforts with ten people. It is a pity that Savic received two yellow cards for two fouls. Greenwood did a lot of damage to us and we couldn’t stop him in the second half and we paid the price for the draw.”
Simeone also offered his thoughts on Antoine Griezmann’s impressive milestone. “Incredibly happy for a player who is part of the club’s history. He has always given everything for the club and is a very important player for us,” said the 53-year-old Argentine. The 3-3 draw costed Atlético to move within 7 and 5 points from league leaders Girona FC and arch-nemeses Real Madrid, and Antoine Griezmann’s and Simeone’s side will remain at home for their final match of 2023, which is a league encounter against Sevilla FC a day before Christmas Eve.
