Antoine Griezmann led Atletico Madrid to a thrilling Copa del Rey victory over Real Madrid with a clutch extra-time stunner.
The two teams faced off once more at the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, less than a week after their first encounter during the Spanish Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Real Madrid prevailed in the eight-goal thriller in the Riyadh match, and Atletico continued that trend in the most recent match, winning 4-2 in the round of 16.
The hosts took the lead thanks to a goal from Samuel Lino, but Jon Oblak’s own goal just before halftime tied the score. Near the hour mark, Alvaro Morata made it 2-1, but Joselu’s goal in the 82nd minute sent the match into extra time.
But in the hundredth minute, Griezmann had to step up and take charge. The France international appeared to have few choices when he picked up the ball on the right flank.
He left Vinicius Jr. in the dust with incredible control and balance, then used a tight angle to finish with a bang against Andriy Lunin. Griezmann celebrated by wheeling away and taking off his shirt while the Atletico Madrid supporters went into a frenzy.
Rodrigo Riquelme scored the game’s fourth goal in the 119th minute to seal the victory and advance Atleti to the quarterfinals.
The Frenchman had a special presentation on the pitch prior to the match after breaking the record for most goals scored by Atletico Madrid.
The former Real Sociedad player, who has now scored 175 goals for the team in two stints, accomplished the mark against Real in the Super Cup semifinal.
After leaving for Barcelona in 2019 at a cost of £107 million, he came back on loan in 2021, but a permanent agreement was reached for a mere €20 million.
On Monday, the Atleti will resume their campaign when they visit Granada.
