Atlético Madrid overnight as the new number three in LaLiga. Diego Simeone’s team was too strong on Saturday in the city derby against Rayo Vallecano with minimal difference: 0-1. The reigning champions played the last seven minutes with ten men because of a red card for Angel Correa for, presumably, the berating of the arbiter. The lead on number four Barcelona is three points, but Xavi’s team also has two duels less in its legs.
Atlético were broadly superior to Rayo in the first half, but lacked decisiveness and precision in the final meters. Joao Félix and Antoine Griezmann, again a duo in the attack of los Colchoneros, gave the home team constant headaches. Griezmann stood out from a collective point of view and had the 0-1 on his shoe twice, while the Portuguese played brilliantly at times and caused a lot of danger.
Koke with his first of the season! † The captain fires Atlético Madrid ahead of Rayo Vallecano ??#ZiggoSport #LaLiga #RayoAthletic pic.twitter.com/o2vOSLbspI
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) March 19, 2022
The visitors had every right to complain twice in the first half. A foul by Iván Balliu on Joao Félix was not penalized with a penalty and Santi Comesaña escaped a red card. He illegally ended a glorious rush from Joao Félix, having received a yellow card three minutes earlier.
A few minutes after the break it was still 0-1. Koke went into a one-two with Joao Félix, pushing into the left side of the penalty area and firing the ball diagonally into the right corner, his first goal since January 31 last year. It was already the seventh goal for the Portuguese in his last seven league games: three assists and four goals, the same number as in his previous 31 LaLiga games.
The duel could have gone either way after that. Griezmann left eye to eye with goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski to complete a pass from Rodrigo De Paul and a superb save by Jan Oblak on a shot by Mario Suárez prevented the 1-1. Randy Nteka even managed to shoot the ball high when Oblak was already defeated on the ground. Also in extra time the difference between 1-1 or 0-2 was minimal: Luis Suarez wasted a golden opportunity, while Oblak again prevented a highly personal loss of points. After the international break, Atlético, which has now won five LaLiga matches in a row, awaits a home game against Deportivo Alavés, the current number nineteen in the Spanish league.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | † | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 28 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 38 | 66 |
| 2 | Seville | 28 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 21 | 56 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 29 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 54 |
| 4 | Barcelona | 27 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 23 | 51 |
| 5 | Real Betis | 28 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 49 |
| 6 | Real Sociedada | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 47 |
| 7 | Villarreal | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 45 |
| 8 | Athletic Club | 29 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 41 |
| 9 | Valencia | 29 | 10 | 10 | 9 | -1 | 40 |
| 10 | Osasuna | 29 | 10 | 8 | 11 | -7 | 38 |
| 11 | Celta de Vigo | 28 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 35 |
| 12 | Espanyol | 28 | 8 | 9 | 11 | -7 | 33 |
| 13 | Rayo Vallecano | 28 | 9 | 5 | 14 | -5 | 32 |
| 14 | Elche | 29 | 8 | 8 | 13 | -10 | 32 |
| 15 | getafe | 29 | 6 | 11 | 12 | -6 | 29 |
| 16 | Granada | 29 | 6 | 10 | 13 | -15 | 28 |
| 17 | Real Majorca | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | -22 | 26 |
| 18 | Cadiz | 28 | 4 | 12 | 12 | -17 | 24 |
| 19 | Alaves | 29 | 5 | 7 | 17 | -25 | 22 |
| 20 | Levante | 29 | 3 | 10 | 16 | -27 | 19 |