La Araña regained su hunger: the goal that broke the tie against La Coruña

The move that decided the match was simple, sharp and impossible to defend. Álex Baena opened the play, Alejandro Grimaldo sent the ball into the area and Julián Álvarez, known as La Araña, connected with his right foot inside the six-yard box. At 48 minutes, that touch turned a tight match into an Atlético victory.

48 minutes: the goal that broke the deadlock

The first half was not comfortable for Diego Simeone's team. Atlético struggled to create clear danger against Deportivo La Coruña, and the breakthrough only arrived after the break. Grimaldo's cross found Álvarez at the right moment, with the precision to keep the score at 1-0 in the Metropolitano.

“The goal is not only important because it gave us the three points. It is also a sign that Álvarez is returning to his best form, after a long period without scoring. When the striker finds his rhythm, the whole team gains confidence.”Julián Álvarez

That goal carried extra weight because it came just days after Álvarez ended a scoring drought of nearly six months with Atlético in the Champions League against Stuttgart. The La Coruña strike therefore extended his recovery to two consecutive games with the Spanish club.

• Álvarez scored the only goal of the match.
• The goal arrived in the 48th minute of the second half.
• Baena started the move, Grimaldo provided the cross and Álvarez finished with his right foot.
• Atlético earned three points in the tenth round of La Liga.
• The striker has now scored in two consecutive games for Atlético.

The play also offered a glimpse of Atlético's attacking proposal: make room, seek depth and finish the action near the goal. Against La Coruña, that sequence was not especially elaborate. It was effective. And in a close match, that difference matters.

For Simeone's Atlético, the victory came with Álvarez's seal. In one week, the Argentine forward scored both in the Champions League group stage and in the domestic league. That is the kind of contribution the club expects from its main reference in the area.

The question now is whether Álvarez can sustain this level and become the decisive factor in the second half of the season. The answer will come game by game, as always. But this afternoon, at the Metropolitano, the numbers and the narrative spoke for themselves: La Araña is moving again.