El gol de Álvarez heats up the atmosphere and puts Atlético back in the chase

The play that defined the match was clear: Álvarez received the ball in the area, defined well and scored the only goal of the encounter. The goal arrived at 48 minutes of the first half, in the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

It was a special moment for the forward. This was his first goal in the current LaLiga season and ended a spell of more than eight months without scoring in the Spanish league. His previous goal had come on February 28, at the home of Oviedo.

Two goals in four days

The Argentine is now on a remarkable run. On Tuesday, he had scored against Stuttgart in Germany, in the Champions League group stage. The match ended 1-1. That goal broke his longest drought since joining the club, with 174 days without converting in Atlético's shirt.

Álvarez also had a chance to score twice more. At 70 minutes, he was left one-on-one with goalkeeper Leo Román, but failed to convert. In stoppage time, Jan Oblak saved Kevin Sánchez's shot on the line, preventing Deportivo from equalising.

“The ovation was for a goal that carries a lot of meaning. It was not just a goal to open the scoring: it was Álvarez's first in LaLiga this season and another step to regain his best form.”Walter Villagra, Deportes

With the victory, Atlético remain second in the table, two points behind Barcelona. The leader faced Real Madrid on Sunday in the classic of the day, so the distance at the top is still open to interpretation.

• Julián Álvarez scored the only goal of the match against Deportivo.
• The goal came at 48 minutes of the first half and was assisted by a pass from Álvaro Grimaldo.
• The forward ended a LaLiga scoring drought of more than eight months.
• He had also scored against Stuttgart in the Champions League four days earlier.
• Atlético remain second, two points behind Barcelona.

The weekend fixture is now clear: Atlético will need to keep the momentum going and maintain their position in the standings. The question is simple. Can Álvarez sustain this scoring rhythm and become decisive for the team in what remains of the year? The answer will come game by game.