Atletico Madrid have taken the lead in Spain’s three-way battle for the championship: the Rojiblancos won their away game in Valencia without difficulty. Two brilliant moments from Griezmann were enough. Correa scored the final goal.
On matchday 24, there was a surprising change at the top of La Liga, after the hotly debated slip-up by Real (1-1 at Osasuna), Atletico also unexpectedly dropped points while playing with a man down. Barcelona was the lucky third on Monday and jumped to the top.
On Saturday evening, the Rojiblancos were eager to get back on the road to success – and faced a hurdle that was no longer as daunting as it had been. Valencia, once feared at Mestalla, were second from last in the home table before the game, still without a win at home. This was not to change.
After ten leisurely minutes, Atletico took control of the game and showed an unusual willingness to play. Griezmann in particular had some brilliant moments. Two of them led to two goals before half-time: in the 12th minute, the Frenchman lifted the ball onto Samuel Lino, whose shot hit the bar and Alvarez scored the rebound. On 30 minutes, the Argentine headed Griezmann’s soft cross past Mamardashvili.
It should have been 3-0 at half-time, but Alvarez carelessly let the seemingly certain hat-trick slip away after a wayward back pass from Mosquera (45+2).
Atletico switches to administrative mode
After the break, the guests took it easy and switched to administrative mode. Valencia pressed briefly, but Hugo Duro’s header flew just wide on the right (50′). From the hour mark, Atletico played it out confidently, with Almeida having the best chance for Valencia with a powerful shot from outside the box that flew just centimeters wide on the left (73). A clinically finished counterattack by Correa ultimately sealed the 3-0 final score (86).
On Saturday, Atletico gained important confidence for the upcoming difficult tasks: the semi-final in the Copa del Rey at Barcelona on Tuesday will be followed by the league home game against Bilbao and the last 16 first leg in the premier class against city rivals Real on March 4.
