MADRID: Atletico Madrid sealed an important 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the La Liga derby for the first time in six years, here on Tuesday.
Atletico, up against the weakened Real Madrid made the most of the situation as the prior defeated the current La Liga champions 1-0 to consolidate their fourth spot in the league’s standings.
The important victory against the weak Real Madrid has put Atletico on the brink of securing the Champions League Qualification.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, which recently made an astonishing comeback in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City, took the field without their key players like Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Thibaut Courtois.
The first-half penalty from Yannick Carrasco proved enough for Atletico to edge past Real Madrid in the derby. The side, however, missed a string of chances which may be a matter of concern for the side in the upcoming fixtures.
Atletico, which currently sit at fourth, are six points clear of Real Betis in the fifth place, with three games to play. Atletico’s better head-to-head record over Betis, however, guarantees the side to finish among the top-four if Betis fails to win against Valencia on Tuesday.
If Betis defeat Valencia, Atletico then can still secure a spot in the top-four by beating Elche in Thursday’s fixture.
It’s worth mentioning that Atletico could not beat Real Madrid in La Liga since 2016, and at home since 2015, with two goals and no victory in their last eight meetings against their city rivals in all competitions.
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