Atlético Madrid strike three times in six minutes to dismantle Real Sociedad

Atlético Madrid left San Sebastián with a 3-0 victory that flattered the scoreline only until the 84th minute. For 83 minutes Real Sociedad had matched their visitors in a tense, low-event LaLiga encounter at Anoeta, but a late penalty award flipped the match and Atlético punished the hosts with three goals in six minutes to claim a result that aligned with a dominant 1.92-0.25 expected-goals margin.

Real Sociedad controlled the ball in a 4-2-3-1 structure, holding 52% possession and completing 218 accurate passes at an 85% success rate. Their shape kept Atlético’s 3-4-2-1 compact, and the visitors were content to absorb pressure and strike on the counter. The hosts managed five shots to Atlético’s four, yet only one found the target and their total first-half xG stood at just 0.17 — 0.16 of it from set plays. Atlético’s open-play xG was a mere 0.04. The clearest chance fell to Real Sociedad, a solitary big chance that went begging, while Atlético created none. Real Sociedad also won the corner count 6-2 and edged touches in the opposition box 7-8, but their final-third entries rarely troubled Jan Oblak.

Defensively, Real Sociedad committed seven fouls and picked up one yellow card, while Atlético conceded four fouls and went without a caution. In duels, the home side won 28 to Atlético’s 17, reflecting their greater territorial presence. Atlético, however, completed more passes into the opposition half (138 to Real Sociedad’s 59), indicating a willingness to probe despite limited final-third output.

The pattern persisted after the break. Real Sociedad again edged possession (55%) and completed 231 passes at 86% accuracy, but their final-third output evaporated: three shots, two on target, 0.08 xG and zero big chances. Atlético, by contrast, shifted gear. Their nine second-half shots yielded five on target, three big chances and 1.76 xG — 0.85 from open play and 0.12 from set pieces.

The breakthrough came in the 84th minute when Alejandro Grimaldo converted a penalty (0.79 xG) to make it 1-0. Six minutes later Jonathan David finished a Grimaldo assist with his left foot (0.15 xG), and in the same minute Giuliano Simeone capped a fast break set up by Dávid Hancko (0.46 xG).

Grimaldo was the architect, delivering the penalty, the assist for David and a constant threat from the left flank. Simeone’s late strike rewarded his direct running, while Carlos Soler, Ademola Lookman and Marcos Llorente provided the midfield control that allowed Atlético to wait for their moments. Real Sociedad’s nine corners to three and 17 box touches to 23 told the story of a side that occupied the final third without ever truly threatening.

Statistically, Atlético finished with 53% overall possession, 449 accurate passes at 86% and 270 passes into the opposition half, compared to Real Sociedad’s 47% possession, 376 accurate passes at 81% and 165 opposition-half passes. The home side committed 13 fouls and received two yellow cards, while Atlético were fouled nine times and saw one caution. Duels were evenly contested, with Real Sociedad winning 47 to Atlético’s 45. In terms of chance creation, Atlético amassed 1.92 xG (0.90 from open play, 0.24 from set plays) versus Real Sociedad’s 0.25 xG (0.08 open, 0.17 set). The visitors also produced three big chances to the hosts’ one, and their shot tally of 13 to 8 reflected the second-half surge.

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FotMob.