Atletico Madrid comfortably defeated city rivals Rayo Vallecano 3-0 at the Cívitas Metropolitano on Thursday night, strengthening their hold on third place in La Liga after their title hopes were effectively ended by a shock defeat last weekend.
Diego Simeone’s side bounced back strongly from their 1-0 loss at Las Palmas. Alexander Sørloth headed them into the lead after just three minutes, meeting Giuliano Simeone’s cross at the far post. The Norwegian striker was denied a second goal minutes later by Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla.
Conor Gallagher doubled Atletico’s advantage shortly before halftime, nodding home a precise delivery from Rodrigo De Paul.
Rayo Vallecano pressed more in the second half, but efforts from Isi Palazón and Álvaro García were kept out by crucial saves from Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Julián Álvarez then sealed the comprehensive victory in the 77th minute, applying a tidy finish after being set up by substitute Antoine Griezmann.
“It was a pretty entertaining match with attacking play and dangerous chances for both teams,” coach Diego Simeone commented. “In the second half, the team played with more order. The play that led to the third goal was exquisite.”
Striker Álvarez, who scored his 27th goal in all competitions this season, added: “We have to keep working… We know it’s not easy [to win the league], we’re a long way behind in the standings. We’re focusing on ourselves.”
Rayo forward Isi Palazón felt his side could take pride from their performance despite the defeat: “We lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. We had our chances. They have great goalkeeper.”
The win moves Atletico Madrid to 66 points, consolidating third place and opening a six-point gap over fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao with five games remaining. Rayo Vallecano remain 11th with 41 points.
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