Atletico Madrid stumbled once more in La Liga on Sunday as they have been crushed 1-0 by Sevilla, giving Barcelona the possibility to maneuver to inside a degree of the highest of the desk on Monday. Marcos Acuna headed within the winner for Sevilla on the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, with Atletico’s grip on first place loosening even additional and their in-form rivals primed to take benefit. Actual Madrid are solely three factors behind after they beat Eibar on Saturday and Barcelona will scale back their deficit from 4 factors to at least one if they will win on Monday at dwelling to Actual Valladolid.
It means Spain’s title race abruptly seems large open, two months after Atletico sat 10 factors away from each Barca and Madrid, with a recreation in hand.
They’ve managed solely 4 wins in 12 video games since then, with defeats to Chelsea costing them their place within the Champions League and common slips in La Liga doubtlessly squandering their shot on the title.
“Actually I do not assume it is about nerves,” stated Atleti coach Diego Simeone. “It is about having to play higher, being a robust block, discovering our greatest model.”
After a slender 1-0 win over bottom-club Alaves two weeks in the past, Simeone may need hoped the worldwide break would supply his staff an opportunity to refresh and reset.
As an alternative, they returned to a different setback towards a decided Sevilla facet, who strengthened their very own maintain on fourth place, even when a push for the highest three would appear past them.
Sevilla deserved their victory and it may need been extra snug had Lucas Ocampos not missed a first-half penalty, Atletico’s Jan Oblak once more coming to the rescue after Jose Gimenez fouled Ivan Rakitic.
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However Acuna struck with 20 minutes left, heading in a looping Jesus Navas cross, at the same time as Atletico protested towards an Ocampos handball that had occurred virtually a minute earlier than.
Mario Hermoso spurned a golden likelihood from shut vary after which Luis Suarez did brilliantly to arrange Angel Correa late on however Sevilla’s Bono, the goalkeeper who scored towards Actual Valladolid a fortnight in the past, this time preserved the factors with a vital save.
