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Whizkid Alvaro Gutierrez scores on debut as Atletico beat Getafe

·By Paul Vegas
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Whizkid Alvaro Gutierrez scores on debut as Atletico beat Getafe

Getafe/X.com

Atlético Madrid beat Getafe 4-1 on Wednesday, though 17-year-old academy midfielder Álvaro Gutiérrez marked his first senior appearance with a well-taken goal.

The friendly, according to Marca, was played behind closed doors at the Cerro del Espino in Majadahonda.

Getafe travelled to the Majadahonda venue with as many as seven players from La Base, coach José Bordalás having trained that morning in Alicante on the final day of his side's pre-season stage before sending a youth-heavy XI out against Diego Simeone's squad. Getafe grew into the contest as it went on, and it was Gutiérrez, in just his second session training with the senior squad, who produced the standout moment.

Diego Simeone's side had raced into a 2-0 lead through a Ademola Lookman brace, but Getafe hit back before the break through Gutiérrez, a natural central midfielder deployed further forward alongside Joselu Pérez.

The 17-year-old showed a striker's instinct to pounce on a loose ball after a shot came back off the crossbar and Jan Oblak had saved a follow-up effort, turning home the rebound to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Atlético pulled away again after the interval, with Arnau Ortiz and Obed Vargas, the latter from the penalty spot, completing the 4-1 scoreline.

Gutiérrez, who played the full 90 minutes, is regarded as one of the standout prospects in Getafe's academy, having featured for the Juvenil C side last season before his promotion to the Youth Honours Division squad this year.

Alongside Gutiérrez, several other academy players were given minutes against Atlético, including Joselu, Moha Handoune, Mady Macalou, Risco, Álex Lozano and Adri Riquelme, while Yassin, Ibu and Ian Olivera also came off the bench during the second half.

The result was Getafe's first defeat of pre-season, having previously faced Reading FC, CD Tenerife and Real Valladolid without losing, according to Infobae.

Simeone, for his part, used the friendly to hand fringe squad members further minutes, with second-string players brought on en masse for the second half; among them was Arnau Ortiz, the reserve side's top scorer last season with 23 goals across two Primera RFEF groups, whose future at the club remains the subject of speculation.