MADRID: Marcos Llorente’s goal helped Atletico Madrid edge Sevilla 1-0 to displace defending champions Barcelona in third position during their La Liga 2023-24 clash at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium on Saturday.
Atletico Madrid’s last La Liga match ended in a 3-3 stalemate against Getafe after being reduced to ten men, while Sevilla registered their third victory this season over Granada 3-0.
Both teams started the game on high, making two attempts each in the first ten minutes to end this year with a victory.
Antoine Griezmann was at his best, making several attempts to earn the lead for Atletico however, Sevilla’s goalkeeper did not let him get through.
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Both sides fought hard in the first half, which ended without a goal from either team.
The home side made two substitutions for the second half as Marcos Llorente replaced Nahuel Molina, while Ángel Correa replaced Rodrigo Riquelme.
Marcos Llorente came off the bench and scored the match-winner in his first minute as he hit a right-footed shot from a difficult angle on the right to the bottom left corner.
This was Llorente’s third goal during the ongoing season of La Liga.
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Llorente came close to adding a second with a header that hit the top of the net and a shot saved by Sevilla keeper Marko Dmitrovic.
Sevilla made several vain efforts to equalise but could not get through as the home side’s lead remained intact until the final whistle.
Atletico Madrid will face second-placed Girona in their next La Liga match on January 4th, while Sevilla will face Athletic Club on the same day.
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