Torres on target for Atletico, Isco right at home for Real
MADRID: Fernando Torres marked the announcement of his Atletico Madrid departure with a goal after coming off the bench to score in a 3-0 win over Levante on Sunday.
Six days after confirming he will be leaving his boyhood club at the end of the season, Torres rolled back the years with a volleyed finish the 34-year-old would have been proud of in his prime.
It was also his 100th goal in La Liga. “Fernando is an icon here,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. “Whether he is scoring goals or not, winning titles or not, he has a place in the club that has been earned by respect, hard work and having an identity with the club. That will not change because of one more goal.”
Torres’ grievance this term has been a lack of playing time and he was a substitute again at the Wanda Metropolitano, replacing Antoine Griezmann, who was also on target. Angel Correa opened the scoring in the first half.
A comfortable victory cuts the gap behind leaders Barcelona back to 11 points and restores some momentum for Atletico, with their Europa League semi-final against Arsenal less than a fortnight away.
Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were both rested and Real Madrid hardly broke sweat as they beat Malaga 2-1 to climb to third in La Liga.
Isco scored one and set up another at La Rosaleda in a comfortable victory for a much-changed Real side, following Wednesday’s last-gasp Champions League win over Juventus.
Diego Rolan grabbed a consolation for Malaga with the last kick of the game but the result was never in doubt.
“Today I can be happy with a job well done,” Real coach Zinedine Zidane said.
But Isco did his chances of a start in Germany no harm at all by bending in a free-kick that both Ronaldo and Bale would have been proud of, and then generously teeing up Casemiro when he might easily have finished himself.
After scoring his first Real goal in nine appearances against his former club, Isco held his hands up apologetically, and he enjoyed a warm reception from the Malaga fans when substituted in the second half. “He has always been important, despite what everyone thinks,” Zidane said of Isco. “He is important, even if sometimes you think I have something else in my head.”