Atletico rebounds from Copa elimination with win over Betis in Spanish league. Girona loses again
MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid rebounded from elimination in the Copa del Rey to strengthen its grip on fourth place in the Spanish league with a 2-1 win over Real Betis on Sunday, while Girona missed a chance to move closer to leader Real Madrid after losing 1-0 at Mallorca.
It was Girona’s third defeat in four matches, leaving it seven points behind Madrid, which drew 2-2 at Valencia on Saturday.
Girona beat Rayo Vallecano last week to end a three-match winless streak, but it couldn’t get past Mallorca, which had advanced Tuesday to the Copa del Rey final by eliminating Real Sociedad in a penalty shootout.
José Copete scored the winner in the 33rd minute as Mallorca moved to 15th place, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Atletico won only for the second time in eight matches in all competitions. Diego Simeone’s team was coming off a 4-0 aggregate loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa semifinals. Atletico also lost to Inter Milan in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League, and to Sevilla in the Spanish league.
The victory at the Metropolitano Stadium left Atletico six points ahead of fifth-place Athletic, which hosts third-place Barcelona later Sunday. Atletico sits two points behind Barcelona in the final Champions League place.
Atletico was 11 points behind Madrid and four points behind Girona.
“We are on the right track,” Simeone said. “We’ve been doing things well and hopefully this win will give us a boost.”
Sixth-place Betis has only one win in its last five matches in all competitions — against Athletic in the previous league round.
Atletico hadn’t won in three straight matches across all tournaments. It opened the scoring with an own-goal by Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva in the eighth minute after the defense failed to clear.
Striker Álvaro Morata added to the lead with a close-range header in the 44th to end his seven-game scoreless streak. Morata had missed a penalty kick with Atletico winning 1-0 in the first half.
Betis got on the board with a long-range strike by midfielder William Carvalho in the 62nd.
Atletico was still without forward Antoine Griezmann because of an ankle injury.
SORLOTH’S HAT TRICK
Alexander Sorloth scored a hat trick as Villarreal routed second-to-last Granada 5-1 to move to 12th place.
Theodor Corbeanu scored in stoppage time for Granada, which hasn’t won in seven consecutive matches.
Villarreal has won two in a row after three straight losses.
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