JULIAN ALVAREZ delivered a stunning hat-trick to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory for Atletico Madrid against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
The Argentine striker had given Atletico an early lead before the visitors fought back to go 2-1 ahead in the second half.
Alvarez then scored twice in the closing stages to complete his treble and snatch all three points for Diego Simeone’s team.
This crucial win represents only Atletico’s second victory from their opening six league matches of the season.
The result leaves Atletico in ninth position, nine points behind leaders Real Madrid ahead of their upcoming derby clash.
“We needed to get three points to get confidence from winning, we’ve been playing well but because of small details we weren’t getting good results,“ Alvarez told Movistar.
The forward opened the scoring after 15 minutes with a volley from Marcos Llorente’s cross.
Alvarez missed a clear chance to double the lead before half-time by firing over from Nahuel Molina’s pass.
Rayo Vallecano equalised in stoppage time through Pep Chavarria’s spectacular long-range strike into the top corner.
Substitute Alvaro Garcia then put the visitors ahead in the 78th minute after rounding goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Atletico responded immediately with Alvarez pouncing on a rebound to make it 2-2.
Giuliano Simeone then hit the crossbar as the hosts pushed for a winner.
Alvarez completed his hat-trick with a superb finish from the edge of the box in the 88th minute.
The performance demonstrated Alvarez’s importance to the team after his recent frustration at being substituted. – AFP
