Julian Alvarez produced a dazzling hat-trick to lift Atletico Madrid to a thrilling 3-2 win against Rayo Vallecano, ending a difficult spell for Diego Simeone’s men and extending their city rivals’ winless streak to four games.
The Argentine striker struck early with a superb left-footed volley from Marcos Llorente’s cross, calming nerves inside the Metropolitano.
But Atletico’s old habit of surrendering leads resurfaced when Pep Chavarría unleashed a spectacular long-range strike in first-half stoppage time to stun the home crowd.
Rayo carried momentum into the second half and almost turned the contest on its head, only for Jan Oblak to deny Isi Palazon with a crucial stop.
Moments later, Álvaro García gave the visitors a shock lead, coolly rounding Oblak before finishing from a tight angle.
Atleti’s response was instant. Substitute Giuliano Simeone’s delivery caused chaos, and Alvarez reacted quickest to slam home the rebound past Augusto Batalla.
With the derby finely poised, the former Manchester City forward completed his treble in style, unleashing a thunderous strike from distance that sealed the points.
The victory, only Atletico’s second league win of the campaign, lifted them to eighth in the table, offering hope that Simeone’s side can turn their inconsistent start around.
For Rayo, it was another bitter blow in a run now stretching to four games without a win.
