Atlético Madrid’s impressive 15-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Saturday with a surprise 1-0 loss to struggling Leganes. The defeat opens the door for Real Madrid to take over the top spot in La Liga if they can secure a victory against Las Palmas on Sunday.
Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Atlético were unable to find a breakthrough against a determined Leganes side. They were made to pay for their missed opportunities when Matija Nastasic headed home the winning goal from a corner in the 50th minute.
Atlético’s frustration was compounded by a late penalty miss from Antoine Griezmann, leaving them to rue their lack of clinical finishing.
Simeone and Oblak Offer Contrasting Views
Goalkeeper Jan Oblak expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance, citing a lack of energy as a key factor in the defeat.
“We didn’t start well. We switched off, we didn’t have enough energy,” Oblak said. “We had chances in the second half, but we didn’t have enough energy to win the match.”
However, manager Diego Simeone offered a different perspective, highlighting the difficulty of playing away from home and praising his team’s effort.
“We had 15 incredible games. I’m proud to have broken the win record,” Simeone said. “We had difficulties [against Leganes] but the game was there, if we had taken the chances we had… I don’t agree with Oblak. The team tried, and they scored with one move, thanks to an individual duel… Game after game, we see that going to any ground is difficult.”
Title Race Implications
While the defeat is a setback for Atlético, they remain top of La Liga with 44 points. However, Real Madrid can overtake them with a win on Sunday. Barcelona, who are six points behind Atlético, also have a game in hand.
This unexpected loss serves as a reminder that any team can be vulnerable on their day, and the La Liga title race remains wide open.
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