Heat’s on leaders
Atletico falter leaving door open for Real to make charge
MADRID: After Atletico Madrid stumbled in the Spanish League, Real Madrid didn’t miss their chance to move closer to the top.
Real won 1-0 at Valladolid on Saturday for their fourth consecutive win, while Atletico lost points for the second straight match in a 2-0 home loss against Levante that ended their 11-game unbeaten streak in the league.
The results left second-place Real within three points of Atletico, who remain with a game in hand but are starting to feel the heat.
Casemiro scored with a 65th-minute header off a cross by Toni Kroos to give Real the win two rounds before they visit Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Real have been able to inch closer to the top despite playing without several key players recently because of injuries, including Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Eden Hazard.
None of them could play in Valladolid as Real withstood a few threats but were mostly in control against the hosts, who are winless in seven matches in all competitions and sit second-to-last in the 20-team standings.
“It was a great team effort as we have some very important players sidelined,” said Casemiro, who had already come close to opening the scoring with two other headers.
Jose Luis Morales scored in the 30th minute and Jorge de Frutos added another goal in stoppage time at the Metropolitano, handing Atletico their first league loss since December – and first at home in more than a year.
Diego Simeone’s team have won only one of their last four league matches.
“I’m not looking for excuses, we need to find solutions,” Simeone said. “It’s natural that we will find difficulties along our path. There will be challenges.”
It was the second consecutive league match between Atletico and Levante. They drew 1-1 on Wednesday in a game postponed from the second round because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Atletico had won nine of their last 11 league matches and had not lost since a 1-0 defeat at Real in December. They had drawn two of their last three games, with setbacks against Levante and Celta Vigo. Atletico were eliminated by third-division club Cornella in the second round of the King’s Cup in January.
Atletico were unbeaten at home in the league in 22 matches, since a 1-0 loss to Barcelona in December 2019. They went 23 matches unbeaten at home between 2013 and 2014, when they last won the league.
Atletico have a tough schedule ahead, hosting Chelsea in the last-16 of the Champions League tomorrow and playing Villarreal and Real in their next two Spanish league matches.
It was the seventh straight game in which Atletico conceded a goal. They had scored in seven consecutive games in all competitions.
In other matches, Manu Vallejo and Kevin Gameiro scored a goal each in second-half stoppage time as Valencia beat Celta Vigo 2-0 at home.
Elche beat visiting Eibar 1-0 with a first-half goal by Dani Calvo in a match between relegation-threatened teams.