Alvarez Hat-Trick Secures Atletico Madrid 3-2 La Liga Win Over Rayo Vallecano

Julián Álvarez scored a hat-trick to secure a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory for Atlético Madrid against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, marking only Atlético's second league win this season amid a challenging start under coach Diego Simeone. Álvarez opened the scoring with a volley from Marcos Llorente’s cross and later completed his treble with a spectacular long-range strike in the 88th minute, which sealed the match. Despite Atlético's early dominance, Rayo Vallecano fought back with a stunning long-range goal by Pep Chavarría in first-half stoppage time and a counterattack goal by Álvaro García, briefly putting them ahead. Atlético showed resilience as Álvarez equalized again from a rebound before his match-winning goal ignited the home crowd at the Metropolitano Stadium. The win lifts Atlético to ninth place, nine points behind league leaders Real Madrid ahead of their upcoming city derby. The victory highlighted both Atlético's struggles to maintain leads and Álvarez's critical role in their offensive success this season.