Deportivo Alavés 1-2 Atlético de Madrid: Romero seals win after red card drama
Atlético de Madrid came from behind to beat Deportivo Alavés 2-1 away, with Grimaldo and Romero on target as the hosts finished the match with ten men.
- Grimaldo opens the scoring in the 33rd minute, Boyé equalises from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time
- Alavés reduced to ten men in the 61st minute as Ángel Pérez is sent off following a VAR review
- Cristian Romero scores the winner in the 87th minute, assisted by Álex Baena
Deportivo Alavés 1-2 Atlético de Madrid Goals: Grimaldo 33' (Atlético), Boyé 45'+6 pen. (Alavés), Romero 87' (Atlético)
Kick-off: Saturday 10 October 2026, 15:15 UK time / 16:15 CEST, Estadio de Mendizorroza, Gasteiz.
The match
Atlético de Madrid took the lead in the 33rd minute through Alejandro Grimaldo, set up by Jonathan David. Before the break, two Atlético players picked up yellow cards in quick succession: Ademola Lookman and Robin Le Normand, both booked in first-half stoppage time. A VAR check followed in the 45th+2 minute involving an incident in the Atlético box, and after the review a penalty was awarded to Deportivo Alavés in the 45th+6 minute. Lucas Boyé converted to make it 1-1.
Atlético made an early double change at the break, bringing on Julián Álvarez and Álex Baena for Lookman and David. A further substitution followed in the 57th minute, with Kang-in Lee replacing Pablo Barrios. The turning point came in the 59th minute: Ángel Pérez was initially shown a yellow card, but the referee was called to the pitchside monitor, and after review the card was upgraded to a straight red in the 61st minute, leaving Alavés down to ten men.
The hosts responded with a triple substitution in the 64th minute, bringing on Mariano Díaz, Ander Guevara and Carlos Protesoni. Despite the reshuffle, Atlético found the winning goal late on: in the 87th minute, Cristian Romero scored from an assist by Baena to make it 1-2. In stoppage time, Johnny Cardoso was also booked for the visitors.
The numbers
- Corners: 0-10
- Total shots: 8-22
- Shots on target: 3-7
- Possession: 32%-68%
- Fouls: 11-14
- Yellow cards: 1-3, plus one red card for Alavés
Standings and next fixtures
Atlético de Madrid move to 16 points, second in LaLiga level with Real Betis, behind leaders Barcelona on 21 points. Alavés stay sixth on 11 points after seven rounds, with 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats.
Next up: Deportivo Alavés travel to face Celta de Vigo on Sunday 18 October at 16:15 CEST. Atlético de Madrid play away at Espanyol on Saturday 17 October at 14:00 CEST.