Atletico seal late 2-1 win over Espanyol

Sports Desk, Sep 12 (EFE).- Belgian midfielder Yannick Carrasco on Sunday led Atletico Madrid to a late, hard-fought victory over Espanyol as Antoine Griezmann made his second debut with the Rojiblancos.

With the Frenchman in the starting XI, alongside another former Barcelona forward Uruguayan Luis Suarez who recovered from knee trouble, Atletico conceded a goal in the 40th minute on a Raul de Tomas header at a corner by Adrián Embarba.

French midfielder Thomas Lemar scored what could have been the equalizer in the 55th minute, but it was disallowed after an intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as Suarez, who was involved in the move, was marginally offside.

A few minutes later, Griezmann was replaced, with Suarez following soon after with the team still trailing 1-0.

It was Carrasco who came to the rescue for Atletico, first by drawing level in the 79th minute when he fired home after tough, scrappy play, before he set up Lemar for the winner nine minutes into the nearly 12-minute stoppage time.

After the win, the undefeated defending champions hold the top spot in the table with 10 points, while Espanyol are 16th with two points. EFE

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