After Real Madrid’s impressive promotion to the Champions League quarter-finals, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal will now try to follow in their footsteps, and before that they both achieved league victories. The champion started the 28th round last night (Friday) with a 1: 2 home victory over Cadiz, while the yellow submarine defeated Salta Vigo 0: 1.
Atletico Madrid – Cadiz 1: 2
The Colchoneros did not impress again, but achieved a fourth victory in a row and mostly took three more points that jumped them to third place in the table, even if only temporarily. Joao Felix started with Antoine Griezmann on the edge of Diego Simoana while on the bench was Luis Suarez and also captain Coca was fit and came up in the lineup, and the opening was all of the locals – the visiting goalkeeper Desmas gave Felix and already in the third minute the Portuguese celebrated an advantage. Cadiz has absorbed fours from Atletico in all three previous encounters since returning to the Premier League and never beating it in Madrid – even at home the last time was in 1989 – but veteran Albero Negredo managed to bring it back to the game when he made it 1-1 in the 45th minute, just before half-time. Although he was in doubt for the game following a blow he suffered in training.
Coca is no longer back in the second half, apparently Simeone is apparently saving him for the Champions League quarter-final rematch on Tuesday against Manchester United after a 1-1 draw in the first leg, and in the 60th minute Luis Suarez and Angel Correa also came in instead of Yannick Crasco and Griezmann as part of attempts to score Triumph. In the end, the one who found the net was the Argentine midfielder Rodrigo de Paul who in the 68th minute, in total in Atletico’s third kick, scored from a comfortable position and determined the result of the game.
Cadiz and ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv stopper Luis Hernandez almost equalized in the 74th minute when he took advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Jan Obelek, but stopper Jose Maria Jimenez kept the ball away from the goal line and immediately afterwards complained of an injury and was replaced. Atletico finished the game with ten players following a red card received by substitute Javier Serrano in the 88th minute, but as mentioned kept the advantage and the three points.
Villarreal – Salta Vigo 0: 1
In the previous three seasons Villarreal had lost at home to Salta Vigo who celebrated with one quartet and two threes, but this time the visitors did not even threaten the frame (in an unbeaten Friday away game) and allowed Onai Emery’s players to dedicate the win to Alberto Moreno who tore the crossbar and of course finished the season. Danny Farho won the game in the 63rd minute, with a flat kick that slipped from the hands of Matthias Ditoro to the net. Villarreal are at least temporarily in sixth place and face off against Juventus in the Champions League.
More games
Levante – Espanyol 1: 1
Levante: Danny Gomes (80). For Espanyol: Xabi Fuado (50)
Granada – Elche 1: 0
Elche: Fidel (11)
Hattafa – Valencia 0: 0
First:
Rayo Vallecano – Sevilla
Betis – Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad – Alabs
Barcelona – Osasuna
In the second:
Mallorca – Real Madrid