After maintaining a promise that it would not give Real Madrid an honor guard earlier than the sport, Atlético Madrid went on to beat the newly topped Spanish league champion 1-0 Sunday and moved nearer to securing a Champions League spot.
Atlético clinched the victory within the final metropolis derby of the season with a Fortieth-minute penalty kick transformed by Yannick Carrasco within the first win in opposition to its rival since 2018.
It gave fourth-place Atlético a six-point benefit over fifth-place Real Betis, the primary staff outdoors the Champions League spots with three rounds to go. Betis misplaced 2-1 at residence to second-place Barcelona on Saturday.
Sevilla stayed one level in entrance of Atlético after salvaging a stoppage-time 1-1 draw at Villarreal earlier Sunday.
“We have three matches left but this was an important step toward reaching our goal,” Atlético coach Diego Simeone stated.
Madrid clinched its record-extending thirty fifth league title final weekend with a 4-0 residence win in opposition to Espanyol.
Atletico Madrid’s Stefan Savic challenges for the ball with Real Madrid’s Nacho throughout a Spanish La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid on the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Madrid’s followers needed Atlético to maintain a practice whereby gamers line as much as applaud their opponents as they enter the sector earlier than kickoff. But Atlético stated forward of the match that it was not going to do that to keep away from upsetting its followers on the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Madrid was coming off its epic victory over Manchester City to advance to the Champions League ultimate.
“It was an even match,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated. “We could not have requested for rather more after the week we had. I did not count on rather more than this, to be trustworthy.”
Ancelotti rested a few of his common starters, together with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, midfielder Luka Modric, ahead Vinícius Júnior and striker Karim Benzema. Modric and Vinícius got here on as second-half substitutes.
Rodrygo, who scored twice late to power additional time in opposition to Man City on Wednesday, began the sport.
The penalty got here after a video assessment to examine on a controversial foul by Madrid defender Jess Vallejo on Atlético ahead Matheus Cunha.
Atlético had gained solely one among its final six video games in all competitions — 2-1 in opposition to Espanyol within the Spanish league two rounds in the past. Since then it had drawn at residence in opposition to relegation-threatened Granada and misplaced at Athletic Bilbao.
SEVILLA DRAWS LATE
Jules Koundé scored deep into stoppage time as Sevilla escaped with a draw at Villarreal to remain one level forward of Atlético and 7 factors in entrance of Seville metropolis rival Betis.
Koundé discovered the web 5 minutes into stoppage time after attending to a free ball inside the world in one of many final performs of the sport. Sevilla goalkeeper Bono was additionally within the space making an attempt to attain the equalizer.
Villarreal, coming off elimination from the Champions League after a house loss to Liverpool on Tuesday, had opened the scoring with Giovani Lo Celso within the 86th.
It was the second consecutive winless recreation for Unai Emery’s staff, which stayed in seventh place.
“We suffered a lot,” Koundé stated. “It was an essential purpose that provides us a degree in a sophisticated discipline after we did not play nicely. We understand how essential it’s to remain within the Champions League locations. We should lock that spot as quickly as we will.”
Koundé’s purpose got here in Sevilla’s solely second shot on course on the La Cerámica Stadium.
RAYO SAFE
Rayo Vallecano mathematically secured its place within the first division with a 0-0 draw at Getafe.
Radamel Falcao was a second-half substitute for midtable Rayo, which had returned to the highest flight this season after two consecutive years within the second division.
Getafe isn’t but out of hazard of being demoted for the primary time since 2016. It sits in fifteenth place, 5 factors above the relegation zone.
Espanyol earlier Sunday drew 1-1 with Osasuna at residence in a match between groups removed from the relegation zone.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
