Antoine Griezmann claims Atletico Madrid ‘couldn’t stop’ Mason Greenwood as Getafe earn last gasp 3-3 draw
ANTOINNE GRIEZMANN wrote his name into Atletico Madrid’s record books – then admitted they “couldn’t stop” Mason Greenwood from ruining their night.
Getafe came from 3-1 down to snatch a point late on yesterday at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Borja Mayoral secured his brace and a point for the visitors with a stoppage-time penalty to level in the pulsating LaLiga clash.
Griezmann, 32, had earlier helped himself to two goals, equalling Atletico’s all-time scoring record in the process.
That drew the France international forward level with Luis Aragones as the club’s record marksman with a tally of 173 goals, but it was not enough to earn the win.
Atletico, who had Stefan Savic sent-off on 38 minutes, went ahead just before the break when Griezmann’s close-range finish from Rodrigo Riquelme’s cross broke the deadlock.
Getafe equalised eight minutes into the second period when Mayoral, the Spanish top-flight’s second top scorer, pounced on a rebound from goalkeeper Jan Oblak’s save to head home.
But Atletico bounced back and regained the advantage through substitute Alvaro Morata’s towering header before Griezmann made it three with a penalty in the 69th minute.
But a night of celebration soon turned to disappointment late on as Getafe pulled one back three minutes courtesy of Oscar Rodriguez’s deflected shot.
And then it was Mayoral who equalised again, this time from the penalty spot, with his second of the night deep into additional time as Diego Simeone’s team dropped points at home for the first time this season.
And Griezmann had no doubts who had been the main thorn in Atletico’s side, saying afterwards: “Mason Greenwood was really causing us problems in the second half, we couldn’t stop him and it cost us the game.”
Getafe boss Jose Bordalas also added about the Manchester United loanee: “I said it from day one, he is a fantastic player and he would reach his best level little by little, we have treated him really well. The whole team played a great game.”
The 22-year-old Greenwood is on loan with the Spanish side for the rest of the season as he looks to rebuild his career.
He was arrested in January 2022 following charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
The England international denied all the charges and they were later dropped by the CPS.
His move to Getafe occurred on September’s deadline day after the Red Devils allegedly performed a U-turn over allowing him to return to their first-team squad amid huge fan pressure.
But Greenwood appears to be thriving at Getafe amid his latest impressive performance just days after he grabbed his fifth goal for the club in the 3-0 win at Sevilla.
Reports in Italy suggested this week that Lazio are interested in signing Greenwood next summer.
He is under contract at United until 2025 but he is not expected to return.
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