Jorge “Koke” Resurreccion, Gabi Fernandez and substitute forward Jackson Martinez scored a goal each as Atletico Madrid defeated Sevilla 3-0 on Sunday to win their second game in a row and keep pace with Barcelona atop the Spanish La Liga.
Atletico and Barcelona are among the only four teams to have won both matches to start the season, along with RC Celta Vigo and surprising Basque club Sociedad Deportiva Eibar.
Celta and Eibar finished the second round atop the standings with six points and the same goal difference. Each team scored five goals and conceded one. Celta defeated Rayo Vallecano de Madrid 3-0 on Saturday, while Eibar beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in its home opener on Sunday.
Photo: EPA
Real Madrid rebounded from a scoreless draw against newly promoted Sporting de Gijon with a 5-0 rout of Real Betis Balompie in their first match at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, while Barcelona edged Malaga 1-0 at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
After struggling in their opener at home, Atletico picked up a convincing win at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Sevilla, showing that they have the strength to be considered an early contender for the title.
“We are improving little by little,” Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said. “Possibly this was one of the best matches we’ve played in a very long time.”
Koke opened the scoring with a strike from near the penalty spot in the 35th minute, Gabi added to the lead with a shot that deflected off the back of a defender in the 78th and Martinez came off the bench to seal the win with a well-placed left-footed shot from the top of the area in the 85th. It was the first Spanish league goal for the Colombian forward who transferred from FC Porto.
“We are thrilled to win in such a difficult environment,” Koke said. “Sevilla is one of our main rivals.”
Atletico Madrid did enough to defeat Las Palmas 1-0 at home last weekend. Last year’s surprise league winner has a difficult stretch ahead as they are to host Barcelona in the third league round before starting its Champions League campaign.
The only bad news for Simeone on Sunday was that Koke had to be replaced because of an injury in the 64th minute.
RC Celta Vigo stayed ahead after beating 10-man Rayo Vallecano de Madrid on Saturday, and Eibar remained perfect thanks to a 2-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao. Saul Berjon gave the modest Basque club the lead by converting a 34th-minute penalty kick, and Adrian Gonzalez sealed the victory with a goal in the 64th.
Real Madrid finally showed their prowess on Saturday, routing Real Betis to pick up their first win after opening with a disappointing draw at Sporting Gijon. Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez scored a pair of goals each, and Karim Benzema netted the other. Both Rodriguez’s goals were superb, one coming from a free-kick and another off a bicycle kick.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a few good chances to score his first goal but remained scoreless after the first two matches.
Defending champion Barcelona struggled for the second game in a row but again found a way to win, edging Malaga with a goal by Thomas Vermaelen at its home opener.
In other games on Sunday, Valencia drew RC Deportivo de La Coruna 1-1 at home, Granada won 2-1 at Getafe and Las Palmas drew visiting Levante UD 0-0.
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