Julián Álvarez scores first home goal as Atlético de Madrid fans start to forgive him

The Metropolitano witnessed something that seemed impossible only a few weeks ago: Julián Álvarez scored and his name rang out over the stadium. After the Argentine forward converted a ball served by Grimaldo, a significant section of the crowd responded the way fans do for their idols. It does not erase what happened in the summer, but for the first time since the Barcelona saga, the connection between the Atlético faithful and the forward from Calchín is starting to feel familiar again.

• Julián Álvarez scores his first home goal of the season for Atlético de Madrid against Deportivo.
• He makes it two goals in consecutive matches for the first time since April after his Champions League strike against Stuttgart.
• Part of the Metropolitano crowd chants his surname after the goal, an unprecedented gesture since the failed Barcelona transfer attempt.
• The goal follows a 174-day scoring drought across all competitions.

Julián Álvarez's first home goal ends Atlético scoring drought

The goal against Deportivo was not just another strike. It came after the 'Spider' opened his account in the Champions League against Stuttgart, ending 174 days without scoring for Atlético. At the Metropolitano the tap-in was almost a formality: Grimaldo's low, precise pass left the ball a metre from the line, exactly where any striker dreams of receiving it. The whistles that had been limited to the reading of the lineups were behind him; the goal finished the job.

Metropolitano crowd reacts to Julián Álvarez goal with his name

While Julián celebrated with fury, the stadium announcer called out the scorer's name. What followed summed up the shift in mood: a large part of the Metropolitano responded with the '¡Álvarez!' chant reserved for goalscorers. It was no polite gesture. It was a clear recognition of the work of a player who had already earned loud applause in the first half for a sprint to recover a ball far from his usual area.

From failed Barcelona move to Atlético fans backing: a fragile reconciliation

The summer opened a deep wound between the player and the Atlético faithful. For the fans, the attempt to leave for Barcelona was a clear lack of respect; for the club, the Catalan offer to take their franchise player was simply unacceptable. Since then Julián has worked to rebuild bridges, fully aware that the matter is not closed and that any new twist would once again shake the dressing room and the stands.

Two consecutive scoring matches for first time since April

Mateu Alemany, Atlético de Madrid's director of professional football, said before the game that the Argentine's full recovery depended on scoring again. The numbers back him up. With this goal, Julián has now scored in two consecutive matches for Atlético in all competitions for the first time since April, when he found the net in the Copa final against Real Sociedad and in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal. He is back where he was before everything fell apart.

What Atlético de Madrid gains from the Julián Álvarez reconciliation

The reunion removes a layer of pressure from every home match. The typical whistles during the lineup announcement are fading and the team no longer has to live with a permanent debate between their star and their own supporters. For Atlético it is a matter of stability: a player of Julián's calibre performs better without noise around him, and a crowd that encourages rather than reproaches turns the Metropolitano into a far more favourable stage on which to compete.