Atletico Madrid’s Brazilian defender Felipe (left) contests the ball with Barcelona’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi (second left) during the Spanish Super Cup semi‑final on 9 January 2020 at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The winner will face Real Madrid in the final on 12 January (AFP).
Atletico Madrid narrowed the gap to second‑placed Real Madrid to just two points with a 2‑1 victory over a ten‑man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in La Liga. Defenders Nahuel Molina and Mario Hermoso scored first‑half goals only two minutes apart, giving Atletico a dominant lead at Vallecas. Rayo’s defender Florian Lejeune was sent off in the second half for a professional foul on Álvaro Morata, allowing Atletico to control the game, although Fran García’s powerful strike offered the hosts a glimmer of hope late on. Atletico held on, maintaining pressure on rivals Real Madrid, who had lost 3‑2 at home to Villarreal on Saturday. Diego Simeone’s side have been superb in 2023, unbeaten in their last 12 league matches and winning nine of them.
“The first thing we did was take stock of what we weren’t doing well,” Hermoso told DAZN when asked about the team’s form. “We wanted to turn the situation around, which wasn’t nice, and we know what Atletico’s shirt means, what it demands.” The Rojiblancos took the lead after a slick break, with Yannick Carrasco and Antoine Griezmann combining well before Griezmann delivered a fine pass to Morata. The striker nudged the ball to Molina, who raced up the right and swept it home for his first goal for the club. Molina dedicated the strike to teammate Ángel Correa, whose mother had died that week, raising the Argentine’s number 10 shirt in tribute. “We know what ‘Angelito’ means to us, how hard it must be to go through a moment like this, and the team dedicates this win, with all the love in the world, to his family, to his people,” added Hermoso.
Atletico soon doubled their lead when Hermoso headed home from Carrasco’s corner for his fourth goal of the season. After Lejeune’s dismissal, Atletico cruised, despite missed chances from Griezmann, Morata and Marcos Llorente. García, however, smashed a long‑range shot past Jan Oblak in the 85th minute, giving Atletico a scare, but they saw out the game to move six points ahead of Real Sociedad in fourth place and keep Real Madrid firmly within reach. Rayo, now ninth, have failed to win in their last eight league games. “We were having a good game, then they scored their first goal which gave them wings,” Rayo midfielder Óscar Valentín told DAZN. “We are calm because we know the team is competing well in every game and sooner or later those three points will come, which will bring calm.”
Nine‑man Real Betis suffered a shock home defeat to Cádiz, leaving Manuel Pellegrini’s side sixth in La Liga. After Villarreal’s win on Saturday, they were overtaken by Cádiz and could not regain the spot ahead of Quique Setién’s side in the Andalusian derby. Betis playmaker Sergio Canales returned after a court‑ordered reprieve from a four‑game ban, but his comeback lasted only 38 minutes; he was sent off for pulling down Rubén Sobrino and preventing the Cádiz forward from running on goal. Cádiz took the lead through Rubén Alcáraz’s penalty, and Theo Bongonda doubled the advantage by setting up Chris Ramos for his first goal for the club. Betis were reduced to nine men when Aitor Ruibal received a second red card for elbowing Fali. “I’m sorry, team, fans, Real Betis,” Canales wrote on Twitter. “Today I made a mistake, a grave error, and I’m responsible for the defeat. I have to be self‑critical and keep working like never before to help you.”
Vedat Muriqi scored a brace, including a stoppage‑time penalty, to secure a 3‑3 draw for Real Mallorca at Real Valladolid. On Monday, league leaders Barcelona can extend their lead to 15 points with a win against Girona. (AFP)
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