Antoine Griezmann sends emphatic message after helping Atletico secure win over Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann sent out a firm message following his team's derby win over Real Madrid.
Los Rojiblancos took on Los Blancos at the Wanda Metropolitano in a La Liga encounter on Sunday, September 24. The hosts ran out 3-1 winners courtesy of Alvaro Morata's twin strike either side of Griezmann's finish. Toni Kroos struck with a long-range effort for the visitors.
After the game, Griezmann had this to say during a press conference (as per @sportbible on Instagram):
"Go to school tomorrow wearing the Atleti shirt, kids!"
The result was notably only Atletico's third win over rivals Real Madrid in their last 14 match-ups. The most recent of those came during the 2021-22 season when Yannick Carrasco's 40th-minute strike saw them win 1-0 at the Metropolitano.
Their last victory before that was in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup, which they won 4-2 after extra-time.
Sunday's result also meant Los Blancos's flawless start to the 2023-24 season came to an end after five wins in La Liga and one in the UEFA Champions League. They are now second in the league, a point behind Barcelona, while Atletico are fifth with 10 points and a game in hand.
Antoine Griezmann shone for Atletico Madrid in win over Real Madrid
As mentioned earlier, Antoine Griezmann scored Atletico Madrid's second goal of the contest with a well-placed header from Saul Niguez's cross in the 18th minute. However, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner also contributed in other ways to his side's win over Real Madrid on Sunday.
Griezmann had 60 touches and completed 32 of his 36 pass attempts (89% accuracy), while also laying out a key pass. He won only three of his 10 ground duels, but recorded three tackles and blocked a shot as well.
Overall, the Frenchman has scored twice in five La Liga matches while averaging 1.6 key passes, 1.8 tackles, 2.8 balls recovered and 3.6 duels won per game. It has been an impressive start to the campaign for Griezmann, who netted 16 goals and laid out 19 assists in 48 matches across competitions last season.