Alvarez tap-in hands Atleti a fourth straight win
Julian Alvarez was the man of the moment for Atletico Madrid, with his tap-in securing a 1-0 victory away to Real Mallorca in LaLiga.
It was a seventh goal in all competitions for the 24-year-old this season and, in truth, was one of few highlights in an off-colour performance from Diego Simeone's side.
Nevertheless, the victory was Atleti's fourth in a row in all competitions and it moved up to third on the table, one point behind second-placed Real Madrid and seven behind leader Barcelona ahead of its match later in the day.
Both sides struggled to make an impact in attack during the game.
The goal itself came from a second-half counter-attack from the visitors, started when Giuliano Simeone took down a long pass from goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Giuliano Simeone, in turn, then laid the ball across for Alvarez with the simplest of finishes into an open goal.
The defeat leaves Mallorca eighth on the table, two points below the top six.
Atletico Madrid kept its seventh LaLiga clean sheet in this match, with Oblak having been in goal for six of those.
It also have the best-performing defence in the league, having conceded just seven goals in seven matches.
It was perhaps inevitable that this game would be a low-scoring affair, with Mallorca having conceded the equal second-fewest number of goals (10).
Atleti coach Diego Simeone was proud of how his players dug deep to earn their fourth straight win in all competitions.
"The players made a huge effort and worked hard after our game in Paris; it wasn't easy to get away from all the praise they got and work with humility to defend all the crosses that Mallorca make in every game," Simeone said.
"In football you always live for today, as in life; what came before, what you enjoyed yourself, what you did... they are just memories. You have to deliver it here and now, it's the reality of life, the day to day.
"In the first half we lacked more collective play, in the second half it was different, we competed better in the opposition's half and after the goal we had our chances to go out with a bigger win."
Simeone heaped particular praise on Alvarez, adding: "I don't follow their numbers and I don't care about it but I love him.
"He has personality, class, humility, hard work and goals. Let's hope he continues in this vein of form because that's what we were hoping for.
"I don't dwell on results but in the past few games I can see a clear idea. We won a Copa del Rey match, then in LaLiga against Las Palmas, at PSG on Wednesday [Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday AEDT] and today once again we gave joy to our fans, which is what it's all about."
