Alvarez strike sees Atletico pile pressure on Barcelona ahead of Clasico

Julian Alvarez scored the decisive goal as Atletico Madrid secured a 1-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna at the Metropolitano. The forward turned home Alejandro Grimaldo's cross three minutes into the second half to claim his first home goal of the campaign. The result marked Atletico's eighth win in 10 league matches, moving Diego Simeone's side within two points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona ahead of El Clasico.

Elsewhere across Europe, Villarreal defeated Valencia 2-1 courtesy of a 96th-minute strike by Georges Mikautadze in a match featuring red cards for Pape Gueye and Harvey Elliott. In Serie A, Lazio moved top with a 2-1 victory over Parma, while Napoli and Roma played out a 3-3 draw. In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund returned to first place following a 1-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.