Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid continued their woeful start to the La Liga season as they were held to a tie against Alaves.
Alaves 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid got off to their worst start in the Spanish league campaign in more than a decade, forced to share the points with Alaves at Estadio de Mendizorroza.
Johnny Cardoso started his third consecutive game for Los Rojiblancos and played 72 minutes, completing 81 percent of his passes, winning five duels, and making two tackles.
Atleti got off to a good start within seven minutes of the contest when Giuliano Simeone fired his shot in from close range as the ball came bouncing off Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera’s foot.
However, that bright start dimmed minutes later when the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty. Alexander Sorloth was the guilty party when he tripped up Nahuel Tenaglia. Carlos Vicente stepped up and put away the spot kick to level the score.
Neither side could find any way to break the tie, thus leaving them to settle for a point each.
Atletico Madrid’s result means this is the first time they have gone winless in three games since the 2009-2010 season.
They are currently in 14th place in the standings with two points.
Note
Elsewhere in La Liga action, Luca Koleosho played the final 10-plus minutes for Espanyol in their 1-0 win over Osasuna.
Follow Yanks Abroad on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for news and views on Americans playing the beautiful game worldwide and the U.S. national teams.
