November 19, (THEWILL) – Atlético Madrid trounced one of their direct rivals in their own backyard on Sunday to climb up to fourth place in the Liga F standings.
They defeated Madrid CFF 4-1 at the Fernando Torres Stadium for a triumph that allows them to close in on the UEFA Champions League places, now sitting just two points behind after their win coupled with Real Madrid’s 5-0 demolition by Barcelona.
The opening 15 minutes were frenetic. Within 5 minutes, Sheyla Guijarro made it 1-0 by pouncing on a good pass from Rasheedat Ajibade, with the second arriving just 3 minutes later when Ajibade herself headed home an Eva Navarro cross. The Nigerian’s impressive start seemed to seal the contest. But Cometti pulled one back in the 12th minute to maintain the tension in an enthralling encounter. From then until half-time, the game calmed down a little as the pace slowed.
In the second period, Atletico went for the jugular with more headers. Gaby’s attempt whistled past the post and minutes later Shelia rattled the crossbar with hers. The third goal eventually came after the changes, with one of the substitutes Ana Maria Crnogorcevic teeing up Leicy Santos for a 63rd minute goal. After that, Atlético took their foot off the gas and managed to withstand Madrid CFF’s onslaught. Deep into stoppage time, Xenia Perez grabbed a fourth with her own header.
It was good day for Manolo Cano’s players as they earned a thumping win that provides a big morale boost for the red and whites. They remain fourth, two points behind second and third. On Sunday, they host second-bottom Granada who have just three points.
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.
