Following a scrappy start to the contest, Atlético produced a moment of quality to open the scoring in the 18th minute.
Antoine Griezmann fooled the Almería defence, leaving Geoffrey Kondogbia’s pass to find the run of Ángel Correa, who coolly slid the ball under Fernando Martínez.
Within two minutes of conceding the opener, Almería created a promising opportunity, but with the angle against him, Sergio Akieme was unable to keep his powerful strike on target.
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The visitors were made to rue that moment, as Almería equalised eight minutes before HT when Lucas Robertone’s menacing delivery was met by El Bilal Touré, whose diving header flew past a helpless Jan Oblak.
After the interval, Griezmann had a couple of chances to restore Atléti’s lead, but he could not find a way past the Almería goalkeeper.
While the visitors had to be wary of the threat posed by Almería, Diego Simeone’s side continued to create openings to win the game, with substitute Álvaro Morata spurning two opportunities in quick succession.
Unmarked at the back post, Morata nodded the ball woefully wide, and moments later, his low shot was smartly saved by Fernando.
