Antoine Griezmann reached a major milestone by netting his 200th goal for Atletico Madrid as the Spanish side cruised to a 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, despite head coach Diego Simeone serving a touchline ban.
Griezmann struck just before halftime in his 454th appearance for Atletico, securing what became his third goal of the night, although VAR later ruled out another effort midway through the second half.
Simeone missed the match following a suspension imposed after his fiery conduct at Anfield two weeks ago, where he clashed with officials and fans before being sent off. His absence, however, had no impact on Atletico’s early dominance.
The visitors wasted little time asserting control, taking the lead in the fourth minute through Giacomo Raspadori.
A clever cutback from Giuliani Simeone, Diego’s son, found Raspadori, who converted his first goal since joining from Napoli.
Atletico continued to pressure Frankfurt, with both Griezmann and Raspadori thwarted by goalkeeper Kauã Santos on multiple occasions.
Griezmann’s near-post header and Raspadori’s attempts were denied, but Atletico doubled their lead in the 33rd minute. Griezmann’s flick from a corner diverted the goalkeeper just enough for Robin Le Normand to tap home.
The French forward finally got the recognition he deserved when Julián Álvarez delivered a precise cutback from the left, allowing Griezmann to sweep the ball into the net and celebrate by lifting a shirt emblazoned with “Griezmann 200.”
Although one of his later goals was disallowed, Atletico kept their momentum. Simeone’s absence was felt less on the scoresheet as he watched from the stands while his team scored twice more: a 75th-minute header from the coach’s son and an 82nd-minute penalty converted by Álvarez.
