Julián Álvarez has rediscovered his goalscoring bite just in time

Oviedo, Spain — With the clock bleeding into the 94th minute at Estadio Municipal Carlos Tartiere, Julián Álvarez finally exhaled. A low left-foot drive whistled past Aarón Escandell and settled in the far corner, delivering a 1-0 victory for a second-string Atlético de Madrid and snapping the Argentine’s 119-day LaLiga scoring drought in the most dramatic fashion possible.

The goal, Álvarez’s eighth of the campaign, arrived on the visitors’ first and only shot on target. It also rescued a performance that had flirted with embarrassment: Atlético, joint-third after the result, had been out-shot, out-run and largely out-thought by the division’s bottom side for 93 minutes and 10 seconds.

The decisive sequence began innocuously. A lost ball and an Oviedo throw led to Álex Baena’s venomous right-wing cross that skipped beyond Antoine Griezmann. Left-back Julio Díaz, a 21-year-old making his full LaLiga debut after 53 appearances for Atlético Madrileño, chased the ball down, steadied himself, and threaded a pass to Álvarez on the edge of the area.

What followed was a masterclass in composure. Álvarez shrugged off Kwasi Sibo, advanced across the arc and, instead of forcing play, spotted Nahuel Molina unmarked on the overlap. Molina’s cut-back cross deflected off Baena’s boot, wrong-footing Santiago Colombatto and leaving the ball invitingly at the penalty spot. Álvarez did the rest, shifting to his left and lashing home.

The strike was notable for more than its timing. It was Álvarez’s first open-play league goal since matchday one in August and only his second in LaLiga this season outside of a Nov. 1 penalty against Sevilla. After a 29-goal debut campaign had raised expectations to stratospheric levels, the 24-year-old had become the subject of increasing scrutiny during his barren run.

Saturday’s winner also papered over sizeable cracks. Atlético lost the expected-goals battle 1.10-0.97, needed six saves from Jan Oblak, and won just 41 percent of aerial duels and 45 percent of ground duels. For long stretches they struggled to stretch a compact Oviedo block, and not even the introduction of Giuliano Simeone on 61 minutes could spark fluency.

Yet the result keeps Atleti in the thick of the top-four fight and, perhaps more importantly, rekindles the “unocerismo” spirit that has long defined Diego Simeone’s era. It was only their fourth 1-0 league win this season; in 2017-18 they managed 11. No side has scored a later LaLiga winner for the club since Alexander Sørloth’s 96th-minute strike at Barcelona in December.

Attention now swings to Tuesday’s Copa del Rey semifinal second leg at the same venue, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, where Barça must overturn a 4-0 deficit. The Catalans’ confidence is soaring after Saturday’s 4-1 rout of Villarreal, and they will scent vulnerability after watching Atlético labour in Asturias.

But if history is any guide, a gritty escape in Oviedo followed by a backs-to-the-wall stand against Barcelona would fit the Simeone narrative perfectly. Julián Álvarez, goal restored and confidence renewed, may yet write the next chapter.