Baena strikes in 89th minute as Atlético win at Espanyol to stay second
Álex Baena's long-range shot in the 89th minute gives Atlético Madrid a 1-0 win at Espanyol. It is a sixth straight win in all competitions for Diego Simeone's team.
Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · Diario AS · youtube.com
Atlético Madrid won 1-0 at Espanyol in the ninth round of La Liga. The game was goalless until Álex Baena scored with a right-footed shot from outside the box in the 89th minute. In stoppage time, Jan Oblak preserved the win with a save from a Pol Lozano volley. Both teams hit the crossbar once in front of 30,882 spectators.
It was Atlético's sixth straight win in all competitions. With 22 points, they are second, five points behind leader Barcelona, which won 5-2 at Real Betis later in the evening.
Coach Diego Simeone praised the scorer, saying Baena was "more decisive, stronger and more confident." Baena spoke of "a very important team win for the whole group."