Atletico Madrid had 25 attempts at goal but could not find the breakthrough as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Espanyol in LaLiga on Wednesday.
Espanyol are the only team yet to score in LaLiga and they showed no signs of breaking their duck in a one-sided contest at Estadio Civitas Metropolitano.
Yet despite mustering 2.71 expected goals (xG), Atleti were unable to blow the door down.
New signings Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth came close to opening the scoring in the first half, while Rodrigo Riquelme had two goals chalked off for offside, the first after a lengthy VAR check and the second in added time.
Espanyol's rearguard held firm as goalkeeper Joan Garcia made seven saves to deny Diego Simeone's side all three points.
Data Debrief: Sorloth misfiring
Sorloth enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Villarreal last season, but the Norway international has so far struggled to replicate that form for Atletico.
In fact, he has now had his longest run of shots in LaLiga without finding the net (six), with four of those coming in this contest.
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McClaren, Latibeaudiere take heart from draw against Honduras but stress need for improvement in hunt for future success
It may not have been the most polished performance by the Reggae Boyz in their goalless Concacaf Nations League Group B stalemate against Honduras, but Reggae Boyz Head coach Steve McClaren and midfielder Joel Latibeaudiere were still full of praise for his team.
For McClaren, the result—though a disappointing one for many of the fans that turned out at the National Stadium on Monday night—held immense significance as it not only secured Jamaica’s place in the quarterfinals of the tournament but also guaranteed them a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The Boyz, who entered the contest needing only a point to progress, topped the League A group with eight points, with second-placed Honduras (seven points) also progressing.
Still, the Englishman, while praising his team’s determination, acknowledged that the performance wasn’t without its challenges.