Atletico substitute Griezmann secures 2-1 win over Valencia
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MADRID, Dec 13 - Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann came off the bench to guide them to a 2-1 home victory over struggling Valencia on Saturday, helping Diego Simeone's side snap their LaLiga losing run and stay in touch with the leaders.
After successive defeats by Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, Atletico were under pressure to deliver following an impressive two-month unbeaten run that put them in the thick of LaLiga's title chase. A win at the Metropolitano helped steady the ship.
Atletico remain fourth with 34 points, one point behind Villarreal in third and six adrift of leaders Barca.
Captain Koke opened the scoring in the 17th minute with his first league goal in nearly two years. The midfielder pounced on a rebound, after goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala parried Julian Alvarez's effort from a corner, slotting it calmly into the net.
Valencia, battling to stay out of the relegation zone, thought they had levelled through Pepelu's close-range effort in the 34th. However, the goal was chalked off after a protracted VAR review, which ruled Hugo Duro offside in the build-up.
Lucas Beltran eventually provided the equaliser for the visitors in the 63rd minute with a moment of brilliance.
The 24-year-old Argentine skilfully weaved past two defenders before unleashing a swerving strike that nestled inside the top-left corner of Jan Oblak's net, leaving the Slovenian keeper rooted to the spot.
The quality of Beltran's goal seemed to momentarily unsettle Atletico but Griezmann restored order 12 minutes later, expertly controlling a long pass from Marc Pubill before hammering a thunderous half-volley into the top corner from close range.
"The team was coming off a tough win at PSV in the Champions League midweek," Griezmann told DAZN following Atletico's 3-2 victory in Eindhoven on Tuesday.
"We struggled today, but we substitutes came on to look for a spark and I'm glad that we found it.
"I'm happy here. I have a wonderful family, wonderful fans, live in a wonderful city ... And I'm happy. I'm going to make the most of every minute I get," the Frenchman added.
The defeat leaves Valencia 16th on 15 points, teetering a point above the relegation zone. REUTERS
