Alvarez nets late winner as Atletico beat Oviedo to claim third spot

Julian Alvarez scored in the 94th minute to secure a 1-0 La Liga victory for Atletico Madrid against struggling Real Oviedo on Saturday, propelling his team up to third position.

The Argentine forward delivered Diego Simeones squad their second league triumph in five outings, marking his first top-flight goal in almost four months.

The Rojiblancos were mindful of their upcoming Copa del Rey semi-final return fixture against Barcelona on Tuesday, where they lead 4-0, and were lucky to escape with the points.

Following leaders Barcelona's 4-1 defeat of fourth-placed Villarreal earlier, Atletico seized the chance to draw level with the Yellow Submarine on 51 points.

"They were battling desperately, they put on a strong performance, it made for an enjoyable match for spectators, a really fluid encounter," said Atletico defender Robin Le Normand to Movistar.

"We managed to stay resilient and then, thanks to our attacking talent, we found the net."

Atletico began brightly but lost momentum, allowing Oviedo to pose the bigger threat during the first period, though keeper Jan Oblak made fine stops against Ilyas Chaira and Alberto Reina.

The Slovenian shot-stopper also thwarted Federico Vinas after the break, as Atletico grew stronger towards the end and dominated proceedings.

Alex Baena put the ball in for the away team but the flag was raised for offside, prior to Alvarez pouncing on a rebound inside the box to finish coolly in the dying moments.

This harsh finish leaves Oviedo eight points adrift of salvation.