Angel Correa’s goal allowed Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone to defeat Granada 2 to 1 as a visitor in the 23rd La Liga match and establish himself at the top of the tournament, with an eight-point lead. To Real Madrid and by 11 to Barcelona.
Although Atletico reigned in the league for 11 dates, their recent performances showed a slight drop in performance, raising some doubts. To make matters worse, he allowed two points to flee on Monday, a 2-2 draw with Celta by Eduardo Cudette, allowing his pursuers to close.
The mattress They had the potential to replace themselves in a difficult duel, because Granada is fighting to enter the next season of continental competitions (they will also contest the 16th finals of this edition of the European League against Napoli) and they are a very strong side when acting in Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes, even though it was He has four performances without wins.
After a strong first half but with few chances in front of goal, Simeone’s men took the lead in the 18th minute of the second half with a shot from the edge of the area from Marcos Llorente, one of the leaders’ key pieces. The Spanish midfielder has 7 goals and 6 assists in this edition of the league.
The advantage of the visit did not last long, as after only three minutes, Venezuelan Angel Herrera, who had entered nine minutes earlier, retreated from the one led by Diego Martinez.
But Correa appeared 16 minutes before the end and shouted his fourth goal of the season with a shot that hit Jess Vallejo and dismissed Portuguese goalkeeper Roy Silva. It was enough for the Madrilenians to win.
“I had a little luck in the goal, because (the ball) hit the defender and he managed to reach the far post. We knew that we had to be calm in the final meters, and that we were creating chances and at some point the goal was coming.”
For his part, Simeone highlighted the “rebellion and enthusiasm” of his team for playing the match on a very difficult ground, where “Granada is competing very well, is doing very well and knows what you are playing.”
“We are in a positive period, the team is in a good position, it strives to grow and knows what it wants. We have made a lot of effort, and with effort and talent we have become closer to the goals,” the coach emphasized.
With this victory, Atletico, who is also still in competition in the Champions League (on February 23 to face Chelsea in Bucharest in the first leg of the Round of 16), reached 54 points and was an eight-point lead over Real Madrid. Sunday, at 12.15, he will host Valencia, and nine against Barcelona, which will be on Saturday at 17 pm locally against Alaves.
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