Atletico Madrid suffered its first defeat of the season against Celta Vigo. (Reuters/ Image used for representational purpose)
Atletico Madrid lost its first match of the season after going 2-0 down at Celta Vigo with 10 men in the Spanish league on Saturday. The defeat would have been worse if not for the video assistant referee waiving off a third goal that was initially awarded on the pitch.
Uruguay striker Maxi Gomez scored Celta’s opener seconds after halftime and set up Iago Aspas for a second goal in the 52nd minute. Defender Stefan Savic was sent off for the final 20 minutes when he received a second yellow card for dangerously lifting his studs near the face of Aspas while disputing the ball.
The loss for Diego Simeone’s side came after it beat Real Madrid 4-2 in the UEFA Super Cup and opened the Spanish league with a win and draw. Gomez’s first goal came when Diego Godin slipped while preparing to receive a routine pass. Gomez raced past the off-balanced defender to take the ball and fire a right-footed shot under goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Aspas doubled the lead when he jumped to head Gomez’s pass off the turf and in-between the post and the glove of a diving Oblak. Gustavo Cabral appeared to have scored a third goal for the hosts but was ruled by the VAR to be off-side.
Celta remained unbeaten in three matches under new coach Antonio Mohamed. Real Madrid seeks a third win in as many rounds of La Liga at home against Leganes later.