October 31, (THEWILL) – Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis 3-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano, ending a three-game winless streak in all competitions.
The champions took command over Manuel Pellegrini’s side thanks to Yannick Carrasco’s spectacular first-half strike and an own goal from German Pezzella in the second half.
As Atleti produced their best league performance since the 2-0 win over Barcelona at the start of the month, Joao Felix came off the substitute to score a third goal.
Betis failed to threaten Jan Oblak’s goal for the eighth time in nine league games away from home, a stretch in which they had failed to score in five of their last six games.
In the first minute of a fast-paced contest, William Carvalho had a shot parried by Oblak, with Betis hoping to exploit a defence that had conceded at least twice in each of Atleti’s previous three games.
Carrasco broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion, receiving Angel Correa’s pass, spinning away from Martin Montoya and firing high past Claudio Bravo at his near post.
As Atletico pushed forward, Luis Suarez headed wide when unmarked, and Mario Hermoso saw the flag rule out a second for offside when he nodded in Antoine Griezmann’s ball.
Griezmann found Suarez after a brilliant passing move, but Bravo prevented the striker once more. Pezzella, on the other hand, misjudged his header from a Griezmann corner and nodded the ball firmly into his own net.
Substitute Felix finished the scoring with a left-footed finish driven beneath Bravo, a VAR check indicating that he had precisely timed his run to meet Carrasco’s throughball.
Atleti’s victory moved them above Betis in the rankings, bringing them within two points of leaders Real Madrid, Sevilla in second, and Real Sociedad in third. However, Sociedad have a game scheduled for later in the day on Sunday.
It will also boost their confidence ahead of a Champions League match against Liverpool next week, especially after the Reds drew with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday after surrendering a two-goal lead.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
