Atletico Madrid ground out a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Deportivo Alavés in Spanish La Liga on January 18, 2026. The narrow win, secured with a late goal at the Metropolitano in a match kicking off at 23:15, was crucial for Atletico's Champions League qualification hopes. In a tense and tactical affair, clear chances were at a premium for both sides throughout the match. Atletico Madrid finally broke the deadlock in the second half, scoring from a set-piece situation to send the home fans into delirium. Alavés defended resolutely for most of the game and had a couple of opportunities on the counter-attack, but could not find an equalizer against a typically stern Atletico defense. The 1-0 result allowed Atletico to keep pace with the league leaders, while for Alavés, it was a brave defeat that yielded no points from a difficult away fixture. Diego Simeone likely emphasized the importance of patience and set-piece execution, while the Alavés manager praised his team's defensive organization. The starting XIs featured Atletico's star attackers eventually finding a way through a packed Alavés defense.