La Liga, El Madrigal - Villarreal 1 (Baptistao 14') Atletico Madrid 0
Villarreal went top of La Liga with a well-earned 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid, capping a miserable day for Spain’s Big Three.
Diego Simeone’s side could have gone top of the pile with victory following Real Madrid’s goalless draw against Malaga earlier in the day - with Barcelona’s afternoon soured by the injury suffered by Lionel Messi - but performed below par themselves.
Leo Baptistao - on loan from the Vicente Calderon side - netted what turned out to be the winner after 14 minutes, as Atletico Madrid failed to make any kind of impression in the final third. Jackson Martinez was handed the start but was hooked at the break and replaced with Fernando Torres.
Villarreal's Roberto Soldado (L) and Atletico Madrid's Diego Godin fight for the ball during their Spanish first division soccer match at the Madrigal stadium in Villarreal, Spain, September 26, 2015. REUTERS/Heino Kalis - Reuters
However, the former Chelsea striker - along with summer signing Luciano Vietto - failed to put the home defence under any real pressure, as Marcelino’s side claimed a deserved 1-0 win to move past the Big Three at the top of La Liga.
KEY EVENTS
14’ GOAL! Villarreal 1 Atletico Madrid 0: Baptistao has found the net against his parent club! He found some space in behind the Atletico Madrid backline and fired a low finish past Oblak to give Villarreal the lead.
38’ INCHES WIDE FOR VILLARREAL! Baptistao's cross finds Castillejo on the penalty spot, who attempts to find the net with a diving header. However, he directs his effort just wide.
45’ HUGE CHANCE FOR GRIEZMANN! A long ball over the top catches out Ruiz, who falls to the ground, but Areola is on hand to make the excellent save from Griezmann with his legs.
58’ BIG CHANCE FOR VILLARREAL! Nahuel is played through on goal with the Atletico Madrid defence missing, but the Villarreal forward treads on the ball at the crucial moment.
84’ TORRES COULDN'T MAKE THE CONNECTION! Filipe whipped a wicked cross into the Villarreal box, with a flick on from Correa helping it on, but Torres couldn't stretch to make contact.
Victor Ruiz fight for the ball during their Spanish first division soccer match at the Madrigal stadium in Villarreal, Spain, September 26, 2015. REUTERS/Heino Kalis - Eurosport
89’ GOOD SAVE FROM AREOLA! Correa fires off a great shot at goal on the half volley after some neat link-up play with Griezmann, but the Villarreal keeper makes the stop at his near post.
KEY STATS
Diego Simeone is now the manager with the most consecutive La Liga games in charge of Atletico Madrid, moving past Luis Aragones.
TALKING POINT
Is Jackson Martinez the right man for Atletico Madrid?
The Colombian striker was Atletico Madrid’s big summer signing, costing nearly £25 million from Porto, but he has yet to bed in at the Vicente Calderon. There have been fleeting signs of Jackson’s ability, with Simeone hoping that he will be the focal point of dynamic attack that Mario Mandzukic wasn’t, but this was his worst performance in an Atletico shirt yet. The Colombian was hooked at half-time and replaced by Fernando Torres, leaving questions over Simeone’s faith in the striker. Is he the right man for Atleti?
MAN OF THE MATCH
Eric Bailly
Villarreal goalkeeper Alphonse Areola enjoyed an excellent game, making a number of crucial saves to keep Atletico Madrid at bay, but Eric Bailly was the standout in the hosts’ backline. The Ivorian dominated the opposition attackers throughout the match - whether it was Antoine Griezmann, Torres, Jackson or Luciano Vietto - and was the defensive rock upon which Villarreal built their victory. His stock was high before this win, and it will be even higher now.
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