Diego Simeone sprinted down the touchline in relief as Atlético Madrid snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano. Julián Álvarez scored twice in the final 13 minutes, completing his first hat-trick for the club and rescuing a side that had been sliding into crisis.
Atlético led early through Álvarez’s volley but a spectacular strike from Pep Chavarría and Álvaro García’s finish turned the game around. Just 36 seconds after VAR confirmed Rayo’s second, Álvarez equalised before curling in the 89th-minute winner. Simeone, who had introduced two full-backs in a baffling switch, was vindicated as the Metropolitano erupted.
The relief was palpable. Atlético had failed to win four league games in a row and risked falling 15 points behind Real Madrid before Sunday’s derby. Instead, Álvarez carried the match ball off the pitch, hailed by Simeone as “the best player we have got.”
Despite recent struggles, Simeone urged calm: “We have to help him, look after him, take care, so that he is here for many years.” The performance also highlighted Marcos Llorente’s tireless display, but it was Álvarez who made the difference when it mattered.
For Atlético, battered by missed chances and costly errors this season, the win offered hope and a reset. “At 2-2, I thought we’re going to win this,” said defender David Hancko. “Then Julián showed his incredible quality.”
Now comes the derby with Real Madrid. Simeone called the Rayo game “pure football” – but his side must deliver again to prove their revival is real.
