Antoine Griezmann assisted the winner in his final Atlético home match as Diego Simeone’s side edged Girona 1-0 at the Metropolitano.
Atlético Madrid gave Antoine Griezmann a winning farewell after defeating Girona 1-0 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Saturday night. Ademola Lookman scored the only goal of the match after being set up by the departing French forward in his final home appearance for the club.
Diego Simeone’s side had already secured Champions League qualification before kickoff. However, the result moved Atlético level on points with Villarreal in the battle for third place, while Girona remained deep in relegation trouble heading into the final weekend.
Girona started brightly and nearly stunned the home crowd inside five minutes. Bryan Gil cut inside from the left before curling a long-range effort narrowly wide of Jan Oblak’s left-hand post. The visitors continued to threaten early on and Gil went close again moments later with a header that drifted just off target. Atlético struggled to settle initially as Girona pressed aggressively and attacked quickly through the flanks.
Griezmann soon began influencing the contest in his landmark 500th appearance for the club. The Frenchman tested Paulo Gazzaniga with a low effort before Dávid Hancko struck the post from the resulting corner.
Atlético finally broke through in the 21st minute. Griezmann found space on the right side of the area and delivered a low cross into the six-yard box, where Lookman arrived to tap home from close range.
The hosts nearly doubled their lead shortly afterward when Lookman fired wide from another dangerous Atlético move. The Nigerian forward later had the ball in the net again, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Girona continued searching for an equaliser before halftime and forced Oblak into several important saves. Viktor Tsygankov unleashed a powerful strike from distance, while Álex Moreno also tested the Slovenian goalkeeper from a tight angle. At the other end, Atlético still looked dangerous in transition. Marc Pubill fired narrowly over the bar and Koke’s low effort forced Gazzaniga into another sharp stop before the interval.
The second half followed a similar pattern with Girona pushing higher up the pitch. Claudio Echeverri and Azzedine Ounahi both looked lively around the penalty area, but Atlético remained disciplined defensively.
Lookman almost added a second after the break when his close-range effort was blocked inside the area. Álex Baena also came close with a curling shot that Gazzaniga tipped away brilliantly. Griezmann continued searching for a farewell goal of his own and whistled a strike narrowly wide from outside the area. Substitute Alexander Sørloth also went close late on as Atlético pushed for breathing space.
Girona created one final opportunity deep into stoppage time when Echeverri’s cross found Cristhian Stuani inside the area. However, the veteran striker blazed his effort over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
The final whistle sparked emotional scenes around the stadium as Griezmann received a guard of honour from teammates and staff. The 35-year-old leaves Atlético as the club’s all-time leading scorer with 212 goals across two spells in Madrid.
Atlético finished with 17 shots compared to Girona’s 25 and registered four efforts on target. Simeone’s side also controlled 47 percent possession. Girona created the clearer openings throughout the match, producing a 2.17 xG compared to Atleti’s 1.97 xG. Girona produced several dangerous moments but lacked composure in front of goal. Atlético goalkeeper Oblak made five important saves to preserve the clean sheet on Griezmann’s farewell night.
Atlético Madrid travel to Villarreal next weekend needing a win to secure third place in LaLiga. Girona host Elche in a must-win clash as they battle to avoid relegation.
