Alvaro Morata netted a brace as Atletico Madrid got their new LaLiga season off to a winning start with a 3-0 victory over a spirited Getafe side on Monday.
2022/2023 La Liga
0-3
Match Report
The Spanish international struck in both halves to help Diego Simeone's side kick off their campaign on a triumphant note at Coliseum Alfonso Perez, with Antoine Griezmann adding the third for the visitors.
Quique Sánchez Flores could well feel the final scoreline did his side a disservice, but it will be the Rojiblancos who end this opening weekend with a smile on their face at a job well done.
In stifling evening temperatures in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, this local encounter proved a cagey affair throughout, punctuated by occasional moments of brilliance.
It was one such sublime passage of interplay that saw Atletico carve out their opener, with Morata the recipient of a fluid succession of passes down the middle before planting a low finish beyond David Soria.
Carles Alena returned fire seven minutes out from the interval with a ranged effort just wide of the mark, while Borja Mayoral rattled the crossbar, but otherwise both teams tended towards a more physical kind of encounter.
Getafe remained fiercely competitive however – but when Joao Felix picked off a poor pass from the back to send Morata back through again just shy of the hour mark, the latter effectively sealed the deal.
Griezmann's breakaway finish moments after Mayoral steered a header past the wrong side of the post with a quarter-hour to spare confirmed the victory – and sets the stage for the potential of another great title battle this term.
Match Events
1' KICK-OFF! Who can win this match?
14' GOAL! Getafe 0-1 Atletico (Morata)
18' Yellow Card! E.Ünal booked
35' Felix's shot wide out
40' Mayoral's shot over the bar
51' Unal's shot over the bar
58' GOAL! Getafe 0-2 Atletico (Morata)
63' Unal's free kick over the bar
74' GOAL! Getafe 0-3 Atletico (Griezmann)
Line-ups
Getafe XI: S. Mitrović, Dakonam, F. Angileri, Maksimovic, E.Ünal, David Soria, Arambarri, Alena, Duarte, Mayoral, Juan Iglesias
Subs: Mata, Portu, Jaime Seoane, Diego Conde, Ángel Algobia, G. Álvarez, John Patrick
Atletico XI: Witsel, Oblak, Savic, Morata, Saul , Koke, Lemar, Reinildo, Llorente, N. Molina, Felix
Subs: Griezmann, Kondogbia, Carrasco, De Paul, I. Grbić, Correa, Hermoso, Lodi, Matheus Cunha, Marco Moreno, Antonio Gomís