Julián Álvarez struck three minutes after the restart on Saturday evening to settle La Liga’s matchday 10 meeting at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Álex Grimaldo provided the assist for the 48th-minute goal, the only one of the night.

The first half finished goalless, with Marc Pubill the only player booked before the break, in the 26th minute.

Álvarez and Oblak make the difference

Álvarez was rated 8.2, the highest on the pitch. Along with his goal, he had 4 shots and created 5 chances for his teammates. Grimaldo, rated 8.03, was close behind.

The other half of the story was at the opposite end. Deportivo finished with expected goals of 1.73 against Atlético’s 1.49, put 5 shots on target to the hosts’ 4, and took 10 of their 15 attempts from inside the box. Oblak made 5 saves to keep them out and earned a rating of 7.82. Hancko, at 7.67, and Robin Le Normand, rated 7.51 in his 45 minutes, also stood out for Diego Simeone’s side.

Atlético saw more of the ball, with 56% possession and 545 passes to 434. They also had 20 shots, but 14 of those came from outside the area.

Late bookings at the Metropolitano

The closing stages became bad-tempered. Yeremay Hernández and Giacomo Quagliata were booked for Deportivo in the 75th and 79th minutes. Atlético then collected three yellow cards in three minutes: Alexander Sørloth for dissent in the 85th, Álex Baena for a foul in the 86th and Giuliano Simeone Baldini for dissent in the 87th.

Referee José María Sánchez Martínez showed 6 yellow cards in total, 4 of them to the home side. Baena, who has 5 league goals this season, is eighth in the La Liga scoring charts.

Atlético two points off Barcelona

The result keeps Atlético second on 25 points, 2 behind Barcelona, who have played a game fewer. Real Madrid are third on 21. It was Atlético’s fifth straight league win. Across all competitions they are unbeaten in six, with their only blemish in that run a 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart.

The fixture has gone the same way for some time. Atlético have now beaten Deportivo 1-0 in each of the last four meetings between the clubs, including the Copa del Rey tie in A Coruña on 13 January 2026.

Antonio Hidalgo’s side are 10th on 11 points, with a goal difference of zero. They have gone six matches without a win in all competitions, a run that includes defeats by Real Sociedad and FC Porto.

Deportivo turn to the Copa del Rey next, away to Auriense on Thursday 29 October. Atlético return to league action at Levante on Saturday 31 October.