Giuliano rescues Atletico as Alvarez jeered in Villarreal draw
MADRID, Aug 24 : Giuliano Simeone delivered a family rescue act in the dying moments, earning Atletico Madrid a dramatic 2-2 draw with Villarreal after his father Diego's side had been reduced to 10 men on a scorching afternoon of fan anger and frayed nerves.
The hosts appeared ready to melt completely after Robin Le Normand was sent off in the 76th minute for bringing down Georges Mikautadze, who converted the resulting penalty to put Villarreal ahead.
But Atletico found one last burst on the counter-attack as Alex Baena released Giuliano down the right and the manager's son kept his cool, sliding a delicate finish beyond goalkeeper Luiz Junior.
The match had been simmering with tension long before the late drama, with Atletico supporters turning their frustration on Julian Alvarez. The striker was booed while warming up, jeered again when his name was announced among the substitutes and met with louder whistles when he came on in the 66th minute.
A section of the crowd chanted: "Let him leave once and for all, let him leave..." after Alvarez had revealed at the World Cup that he had spoken to the club about a possible transfer to "fulfil my dream", with Barcelona heavily linked in Spanish media reports.
The hostility followed him beyond the final whistle as he headed straight to the changing room while teammates saluted the fans, drawing another heavy round of boos.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone confirmed that Alvarez had been advised by the club to leave the pitch after the match.
"The club decided he should not go near the stands or the fans," the Argentine said in a press conference.
"It was the club's decision to keep him away and separate him, so he could go to the locker room."
Asked what advice he would give the under-fire Alvarez, Simeone responded: "I'm not here to give advice.
"I have to focus on my job, which is to give my best for Atletico Madrid. If we want to win a title, we need to stick together, have forwards, and have key forwards. We all need to work accordingly on what we need."
After a flat first half, Atletico took the lead in the 59th minute through Marc Pubill, who curled a superb strike from outside the box into the top corner.
Villarreal levelled seven minutes later when Morten Hjulmand conceded a penalty for a foul on Tajon Buchanan near the edge of the box, allowing Gerard Moreno to stroke his spot kick to Jan Oblak's left.
VAR then intervened after Le Normand's challenge on Mikautadze, prompting the referee to award another penalty and flash the red card, before Giuliano ensured Atletico escaped with something from a feverish afternoon.
