Luis Suárez made an impressive impact on his debut for Atlético de Madrid after his stint from Barcelona, scoring two goals and providing an assist as his team crushed Granada 6-1 at home in their first game of the La season. League on Sunday.
Suárez, who only completed his change from Barça on Friday, started on the bench and entered in the middle of the second half with his team and three goals up thanks to goals from Diego Costa, Ángel Correa and Joao Félix.
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The Uruguayan made his mark instantly by releasing Marcos Llorente with an exquisite first touch and the Spaniard produced a first shot to score the fourth.
Suárez then led an impressive header into the net in the 86th minute after a cross from Llorente before scoring again in overtime, after Jorge Molina had scored a late consolation goal for Granada.
Atlético had taken control of the game when Diego Costa headed a Correa cross in the ninth minute.
They should have doubled their lead shortly after, when Joao Félix was awarded a penalty, but midfielder Saúl Niguez had his shot from point of view and then volleyed the rebound out of goal.
Granada had entered the game on a four-game winning streak in all competitions, but Atlético soon put the game out of reach after the break.
Record signing Felix selected Correa and the Argentine international with superb control before finishing in the far corner in the 47th minute, while the Portugal forward showed his class to score the third goal soon after.
Félix’s brilliant performance was soon overshadowed by Suárez, yet the Uruguay ace looked insatiable in the 20 minutes he was on the pitch after replacing Costa.
After leaving the pass for Llorente, Suárez appeared to have earned a penalty when fouled by Fede Vico and was ready to shoot the penalty before the referee overturned the decision after reviewing the play on the court monitor.
Suárez, however, showed that he still has a lot to offer at the highest level after being sent off by Barça despite his 198 goals for the club in all competitions over six seasons, the third highest figure of any player in his story.
