April 03, (THEWILL) – Atletico Madrid moved up to third place in La Liga with a 4-1 win over Deportivo Alaves on Saturday, thanks to braces from Joao Felix and Luis Suarez.
The game got dramatic when Gonzalo Escalante equalised Joao Felix’s opener in the 63rd minute and it looked like Diego Simeone’s side would be denied a sixth consecutive top-flight victory. But, Suarez’s penalty and Joao Felix’s second secured all three points.
As early as the ninth minute, Atletico thought they had opened the scoring, but Thomas Lemar’s effort was called out for offside.
Two minutes later, however, they took the lead when an unmarked Joao Felix headed Sime Vrsaljko’s cross into Fernando Pacheco’s top-left corner.
However, a slow start in the second half ensured that Atleti had to wait until the hour mark for another open sight of goal. Marcos Llorente had the chance but shot wide from just beyond the area.
Escalante punished Atletico for not taking their chances when he snuck into the area and headed Edgar Mendez’s beautiful cross past Jan Oblak.
Suarez gave Diego Simeone’s side something to celebrate when he hammered his penalty down the centre after Florian Lejeune fouled substitute Matheus Cunha in the Alaves area.
The opening for a Joao Felix double came when Cunha’s original shot was saved, and the ball came to him. Felix wasted no effort to score his second in the 82nd minute with a stinging close-range strike.
To add gloss to the scoreline, Suarez was played in by the very influential Cunha, and the Uruguayan international added gloss to the scoreline with a crisp finish in the 90th minute.
Simeone’s focus, now that they have climbed to third place, will now turn fully to facing Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, while keeping their next La Liga meeting against Mallorca on Saturday, in mind.
The search for a win for Deportivo Alaves resumes next Sunday against Osasuna.
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.
