Antoine Griezmann sealed Atletico Madrid’s Champions League qualification with a remarkable hat-trick in a commanding 3-0 victory against Getafe on Wednesday in La Liga action.
Under the guidance of Diego Simeone, Atletico secured their 12th consecutive season in Europe’s premier competition by clinching a top-four finish.
Driven by the brilliance of French international Griezmann, the Rojiblancos delivered a commanding performance at Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Perez in the suburbs of Madrid.
Atletico, currently occupying fourth place, now trails Girona by a mere two points, with a comfortable 11-point lead over fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who stumbled to a 2-1 defeat against struggling Celta Vigo.
Despite a promising start to the season, including being the only team in Spain to defeat newly crowned champions Real Madrid, Atletico faced setbacks as their campaign progressed. They were ousted by Athletic in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, and their Champions League aspirations were dashed by Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.
However, Atletico’s determination shone through as they knew a victory against Getafe would secure their return to the Champions League next season, with the influential Griezmann leading the charge. Despite recent concerns about his form, the 33-year-old forward silenced critics with his second hat-trick of the campaign, demonstrating his indispensable value to the team.
Griezmann initiated the scoring in the 27th minute, latching onto Rodrigo De Paul’s precise pass and beating Getafe goalkeeper David Soria with a well-placed shot.
His second goal came just before halftime, converting Angel Correa’s pass into the net, with VAR confirming the legality of the goal after an initial offside call.
Completing his hat-trick in the second half, Griezmann finished off a swift Atletico move, slotting home at the near post after a precise pass from Lino.
