Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the match as Atletico Madrid opened their La Liga campaign with a narrow victory over Las Palmas at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday.

Griezmann's deflected free kick in the 16th minute evaded the away side's stopper Raul Lizoain as the 2013-14 Spanish champions started the season with all three points.

Las Palmas improved in the second half after struggling in the first, but the newly-promoted outfit could not find the back of the net despite a couple of excellent opportunities.

Here, Sports Mole has dissected the 90 minutes of action between the two teams.

Match statistics

ATLETICO
Shots: 14
On target: 3
Possession: 58%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 11

LAS PALMAS
Shots: 8
On target: 1
Possession: 42%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 16

Was the result fair?

One look at the statistics will paint a picture of a game that Atletico deserved to win comfortably. However, when reviewing what actually occurred at the Vicente Calderon, the hosts were a touch fortunate to escape with all three points. When Griezmann opened the scoring in the 16th minute, many would have expected Diego Simeone's side to comfortably claim all three points, but the response from Las Palmas suggested that they have what it takes to stay afloat in this division. That is not to say that the visitors had chance after chance - they only managed one attempt on target - but they hit the woodwork twice in the second period and were largely comfortable at the back. Atletico will feel that they just about deserved to claim all the points, but Las Palmas can be delighted with their performance on their return to La Liga action.

Atletico's performance

Simeone decided to hand a league debut to Jackson Martinez in attack, but Luciano Vietto, Angel Correa and Stefan Savic were all named on the bench for the hosts. Atletico had the game's first opportunity in the third minute, but Griezmann, who was a threat all evening, could only hook his effort wide from a tight angle. The Frenchman did not have to wait long to make amends, however, as he found the back of the net from a free kick in the 16th minute. A fairly quiet first half brought just one more clear opportunity for the hosts, but Filipe Luis, on his homecoming, fired wide after a smart move that involved Oliver Torres. It was a comfortable first 45 minutes of football for Simeone's side, but Las Palmas did show a willingness to break forward, which became a feature in the second half and almost cost the home side all three points.

Atletico were fortunate not to concede moments before the hour when David Simon arrived unmarked at the far post, only to hit the crossbar from close range. Simeone introduced Fernando Torres and Correa in a bid to freshen his attack for the final stretch, but Las Palmas remained a threat. Both goalkeepers were called into action in the latter stages, before Koke hit the post with a super free kick in the final minute. The statistics show that Atletico had 14 attempts, but the fact that only three were on target is an indication of their struggles in the final third. It is points and not performances that are most important at this stage of the season and Simeone will have been pleased to start with a positive result, especially when considering that their next two matches are against Sevilla and Barcelona. Good result, but improvement needed.

Las Palmas' performance

It was not too much of a surprise when the teamsheets were handed in and it was made clear that the visitors were playing five at the back on Saturday evening. Antolin Alcaraz, Pedro Bigas and Jonathan Viera all made their debuts for the newly-promoted club and overall, head coach Paco Herrera can be pleased with what occurred in front of him. The visitors did not have an attempt on target in a first half that saw them fall 1-0 behind, but there were signs, especially from Sergio Araujo, that they could cause problems as the match developed. As mentioned, they should have been level before the hour when Simon met a free kick at the far post, but the defender rattled the crossbar. Aythami Artiles also had a glorious chance for Las Palmas in the 72nd minute, but the captain's bundled effort was kept out by a combination of Jan Oblak and the post.

Herrera's side remained a threat from set pieces and had another opportunity in the 83rd minute when Aythami again made first contact from a set piece, but the centre-back's header flew over the crossbar. It would have been easy for the visitors to fold after conceding at a fairly early stage, but they tightened the space between the lines as play progressed and but for a poor goalkeeping mistake, would have claimed a point on their trip to the Calderon. The fact that they only managed one attempt on target is disappointing, but they came so close on at least two separate occasions and that is a good sign moving forward. They are expected to be one of the teams there or there abouts at the bottom of the table come the end of the season, but more performances of this ilk will give them a serious chance of remaining in the league.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Antoine Griezmann: It was not really a match where one player particularly stood out with a real five-star performance, but Griezmann once again made the difference for Atletico. It was the French international's first-half free kick that ultimately claimed all the points in Madrid, while he was the one player that always looked capable of making something happen. There has been a lot of transfer business at Atletico this summer, but keeping Griezmann is of the utmost importance.

Biggest gaffe

Unfortunately for Las Palmas goalkeeper Raul, the biggest gaffe of the match was the deciding moment in terms of the points. Griezmann's free kick took a big deflection off the wall before spinning towards goal, but the Spaniard will feel that he should have done better. Raul almost fell backwards as the ball approached and to Griezmann's delight, it found the back of the net. The manner of the winning goal will make it an even more difficult result for Las Palmas and their supporters to take.

Referee performance

In truth, it was a fairly comfortable evening for referee Eduardo Prieto. The Spaniard only issued two yellow cards throughout the match and the first was not until the 57th minute, when Juanfran had his name taken. Prieto also rightly booked Fernando Torres for attempting to win a penalty late on, while he was prepared to let the game flow in the correct areas of the field. A solid night for the official.

What next?

Atletico: Simeone's side will travel to Sevilla in their second league game next Sunday evening.

Las Palmas: Las Palmas, meanwhile, will host Levante in the league next Sunday.