Antoine Griezmann came off the bench to fire a decisive brace as Atletico Madrid defeated Levante 3-1 in a hard-fought La Liga encounter on Saturday.
The French forward’s second-half heroics lifted Diego Simeone’s men provisionally into third place above Villarreal, who still have a chance to reclaim the spot when they visit Espanyol later in the day.
Adrian de la Fuente’s early own goal put Atletico in front at the Metropolitano, but Levante quickly hit back through Manu Sanchez’s header from a corner to end the hosts’ run of four consecutive league clean sheets.
With the score level after the hour mark, Simeone introduced Griezmann and the veteran striker wasted no time making an impact, scoring just 28 seconds after coming on.
He finished off a fine move created by Marcos Llorente to restore Atletico’s lead, setting a record for the fastest goal by a substitute in La Liga over the past decade.
Jan Oblak later denied Goduine Koyalipou’s header to preserve Atletico’s advantage before Griezmann sealed the victory in the 80th minute, reacting quickest after Mathew Ryan parried Julian Alvarez’s effort.
Levante thought they had pulled one back in stoppage time through Carlos Alvarez, but the goal was disallowed for offside against Matias Moreno, who was adjudged to have interfered with play.
Despite showing promise, Levante remain 17th and in danger of slipping into the relegation zone, while Atletico extended their impressive run of form in the league.
“It’s difficult for us sometimes to find solutions, but those of us coming from the bench always try to lift the team,” Griezmann told Movistar after the game. “Every player has to be ready, whether starting or not.”
The 34-year-old admitted he would prefer to start more often but emphasized professionalism, “Of course, I want to play more, but I accept it. I’m here to help the team however I can.”
Atletico, who have scored first in every league match this season, now turn their attention to maintaining momentum as they continue their chase behind leaders Real Madrid and defending champions Barcelona.
