Atletico Madrid 3 Levante 1: Griezmann at the double for champions

Antoine Griezmann continued where he left off before the mid-season break by scoring twice in Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 win over Levante.

The France international helped the Liga champions sign off 2014 with a hat-trick in a 4-1 rout of Athletic Bilbao on December 21. 

And the forward was once again instrumental on Saturday against Lucas Alcaraz’s side in La Liga’s opening match of the year at the Vicente Calderon.

Griezmann broke the deadlock in the 18th minute with a towering header from Guilherme Siqueira’s cross and doubled the tally shortly after the restart by just nodding over the line after Diego Marino kept out Mario Mandzukic’s initial effort. 

Substitute Nabil El Zhar’s first league goal of the season just after the hour handed Levante a lifeline, but Diego Godin’s header eight minutes from time ended hopes of an unlikely comeback.

Atleti’s victory adds to the feel-good factor at the Calderon born out of the announcement earlier this week that Fernando Torres, who took a watching brief from the stands, is to re-join the club.

Diego Simeone’s side move level on points with second-placed Barcelona and are now just one point adrift of leaders and city rivals Real Madrid, although Carlo Ancelotti’s side have two games in hand.

Atleti enjoyed a near monopoly of possession in the opening stages and Arda Turan had a goal ruled out in the 12th minute as Godin – who nodded the ball into his path – was offside.

Mandzukic was next to go close as he headed Siqueira’s cross from the left wide when off balance.

The breakthrough came in the 18th minute when another fine Siqueira delivery picked out Griezmann, who planted a firm header past a helpless Diego Marino at the near post.

Atleti continued to turn the screw and Turan flashed an effort just over from 25 yards before Mandzukic also had a goal chalked off at the near post for what appeared to be offside, although replays also showed the Croatian had handled the ball.

Levante then had Diego Marino to thank for keeping the score at 1-0 when he produced a superb point-blank stop from his own defender Loukas Vyntra, who diverted Koke’s cross goalwards.

Diego Marino was desperately unlucky to beaten for the second goal in the 47th minute. The goalkeeper made a smart stop from Mandzukic’s header before leaping back across goal to get a hand to Griezmann’s follow-up, but the ball was just over the line.

More good work from Mandzukic and Griezmann led to Tiago almost adding a third with a curling effort that was deflected wide.

Levante, who had offered little going forward, found a way back into the game in the 62nd minute.

The hosts scrambled a corner to safety, but their defence was left static when Victor Casadesus drilled the ball back into the area and El Zhar – who had been on the pitch for just two minutes – got the final touch past Miguel Angel Moya.

However, Godin
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put the game beyond doubt in the 82nd minute with a looped header from Tiago’s cross from the left flank as Atleti started the new year with a comfortable win.