Antoine Griezmann etched his name further into Atletico Madrid's history books on Tuesday, scoring his 200th goal for the club as they thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League. The dominant performance at the Metropolitano marked Atletico's first Champions League victory of the season.
Atletico Madrid dominated from the start, fueled by the home crowd's energy after their recent 5-2 victory against Real Madrid. The scoring began early, with Giacomo Raspadori finding the net in the 4th minute after Giuliano Simeone's clever footwork created the opportunity. Atletico continued to press, and their efforts were rewarded in the 33rd minute when Robin Le Normand scored from close range following a corner.
The moment of the match arrived in first-half stoppage time when Antoine Griezmann scored his 200th goal for Atletico Madrid. Julián Alvarez assisted, setting up Griezmann to fire a low shot past Frankfurt's goalkeeper, Kauã Santos. Griezmann celebrated the milestone by holding up an Atletico jersey with "Grizi 200" on the back. According to Opta, Griezmann's 200 goals are at least 28 more than any other player in the club's history, with Luis Aragonés netting 172 goals.
Eintracht Frankfurt showed signs of life in the second half, with Jonathan Burkardt scoring in the 57th minute. However, Atletico quickly responded, with Giuliano Simeone heading in from a corner in the 70th minute to restore the three-goal lead. Earlier in the game, Griezmann had another goal disallowed for a handball in the 67th minute. Julián Alvarez capped off a stellar performance by converting a penalty in the 82nd minute after a handball was spotted by VAR.
Atletico Madrid's dominant performance was reflected in the statistics, with 51% possession and more corners than Eintracht Frankfurt. The victory was Atletico's third straight across all competitions, having previously defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-2 and Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish league.
Griezmann expressed his pride and happiness after reaching the 200-goal mark, acknowledging the difficulty of the achievement. He also praised the team's good form and momentum, emphasizing the need to maintain their current level of performance.
The win marked Atletico Madrid's 200th Champions League goal, making them the 17th team to reach this milestone and the third Spanish side after Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Diego Simeone, who was serving a touchline ban, watched from the stands as his team delivered an emphatic victory. Atletico Madrid will face Arsenal in three weeks.
