Alvarez's Late Strike Secures Atletico Madrid Victory at Celta Vigo

Julian Alvarez's late heroics secured a dramatic 1-0 victory for Atletico Madrid at Celta Vigo in La Liga on Thursday. Despite a lackluster performance, the Argentine substitute's 90th-minute strike snatched all three points for Diego Simeone's side.

Atletico struggled to create chances in the first half, failing to register a single shot. Celta, on the other hand, threatened through Iago Aspas and Borja Iglesias, but Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak made crucial saves to keep the visitors level.

Simeone introduced Alvarez in the second half, and the former Manchester City striker made an immediate impact. He stayed alert to prod home Antoine Griezmann's deep cross at the back post, securing a vital victory for Atletico.

"We didn't play well in attack in the first half," Simeone admitted. "The subs gave us a bit more creativity to be able to win the game."

Earlier in the day, Ayoze Perez scored twice to lead Villarreal to a 2-1 win at Espanyol. The Spain international now has six goals this season, trailing only Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski in the scoring charts.

Real Betis, however, could only manage a 1-1 draw at bottom-of-the-table Las Palmas. Barcelona remain top of the league after their 1-0 win over Getafe on Wednesday, with Real Madrid second following their 3-2 victory against Alaves on Tuesday.

Tags: #LaLiga, #AtleticoMadrid, #CeltaVigo, #JulianAlvarez, #AntoineGriezmann