2024-03-03 17:36:08
Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid strengthened its final fourth place in qualifying for the Champions League next season and tightened the noose on third-placed Barcelona with a difficult victory over its guest Real Betis 2-1 on Sunday, in the twenty-seventh stage of the Spanish Football League.
Published on: 03/03/2024 – 18:36
4 minutes
Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Silva scored an own goal (8), Alvaro Morata scored two goals for Atletico, who missed victories in their last three matches in various competitions, and Portuguese substitute William Carvalho scored a goal for Betis (62).
French striker Antoine Griezmann, the best scorer in Atletico’s history, missed the third match following suffering an ankle injury on February 20 during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in a 0-1 loss to Inter.
Atletico, which had fallen into a 2-2 draw once morest Almeria in the last stage and was eliminated from the semi-finals of the cup competition by losing to Athletic Bilbao 0-4 in the total of the two matches, raised its score to 55 points in fourth place, two points behind Barcelona in third place and 6 points ahead of Barcelona. Bilbao V, knowing that the Catalan and Basque clubs will meet at a later time.
Los Rojiblancos opened the scoring 8 minutes following the starting whistle with friendly fire following goalkeeper Silva accidentally turned the ball into his own net.
Silva committed a new mistake following fouling Morata inside the area, causing the referee to award a penalty kick, which he successfully blocked before shining once more following the Spanish striker followed the ball.
Atletico doubled the score following a shot from Argentine Rodrigo De Paul was blocked by Silva, and Morata followed up with a header into the empty goal (44), scoring his 14th goal in the league this season.
Betis reduced the gap following a pass from Brazilian striker William Jose to substitute midfielder Carvalho, who shot a wonderful ball from 20 meters into the difficult corner of Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak (62), so the latter returned and blocked the attempt of Argentine substitute Guido Rodriguez (79).
-Villarreal continues its awakening-
Villarreal continued its awakening by achieving its second successive victory when it defeated its guest, Granada, 5-1, including a hat-trick for its Norwegian striker, Alexander Sorloth.
The Yellow Submarine team decided the result of the match in the first half by scoring three goals, alternately scored by Sorloth (7 and 19) and Frenchman Etienne Capoue (32).
Portuguese Gonçalo Guedes increased Villarreal’s lead at the start of the second half (47), before Sorloth concluded the festival with his third and fifth personal goals for his team (66), raising his tally to 12 goals on the scorers list.
Veteran captain Dani Parejo also imposed himself as the star of the match with three assists: two to Sorloth and one to Capoue.
Canadian Theodore Corbineau scored the only goal for the visitors in the first minute of stoppage time.
It is the second victory in a row for Villarreal following its victory over its host Real Sociedad 3-1 in the last stage, and the eighth this season, raising its score to 31 points alone, temporarily in twelfth place, three points ahead of Deportivo Alaves, which is visiting Osasuna on Monday at the end of the stage.
Villarreal, which did not taste a loss in its last seven league matches (3 wins and 4 draws), issued a stern warning to its French host Marseille, which it will host next Thursday in the first leg of the round of 16 in the Europa League competition.
Marseille achieved a major victory over its host, Clermont-Ferrand, who is in last place, also 5-1, on Saturday in the twenty-fourth round of the French League.
On the other hand, Granada returned to the losing streak following three consecutive draws, suffering its sixteenth loss this season and its score frozen at 14 points in nineteenth place from last.
Later, Real Mallorca will play once morest Girona.
1709499149
#Atletico #strengthens #fourth #position #tightens #noose #Barcelona
