“Atlético Madrid Held to Frustrating Stalemate Despite 25 Attempts at Goal”
Atlético Madrid had 25 shots on goal but failed to break through, resulting in a 0-0 draw with Espanyol in LaLiga on Wednesday.
Espanyol remains the only team yet to score in the competition and showed little sign of ending that drought in a one-sided match at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano.
Despite generating 2.71 expected goals (xG), Atlético could not find the breakthrough.
New signings Julián Álvarez and Alexander Sørloth came close to scoring in the first half, and Rodrigo Riquelme had two goals disallowed for offside—one after a lengthy VAR review and another in stoppage time.
Espanyol’s defense remained solid, with goalkeeper Joan García making seven saves to frustrate Diego Simeone’s side and secure a point.
Sørloth, who had a strong season with Villarreal last year, has struggled to replicate that form at Atlético. He has now gone the longest stretch of his LaLiga career without scoring (six shots), with four of those coming in this match.