Atletico Madrid go third in La Liga over Valladolid

Madrid: Atletico Madrid scraped a 1-0 win at home to Real Valladolid on Saturday in La Liga thanks to a late header from substitute Vitolo to move into third in the standings.

Vitolo cashed in from poor positioning from Valladolid's debutant goalkeeper Jose Antonio Caro to head the ball just over the goalline. Although it was headed away by a defender, a VAR review ratified the linesman's decision to award the goal.

The victory took Atletico on to 52 points after 30 games, level with fourth-placed Sevilla, but gave them a four-point cushion over fifth-placed Getafe to further boost their chances of a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.

Valladolid are 15th on 33 points, seven points above the relegation zone.

Playing for the first time without fans at the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico lacked the fluidity they showed in their 5-0 thrashing at Osasuna last Wednesday and were fortunate not to go behind as Valladolid impressed in the first half.

Visiting midfielder Waldo Rubio unleashed a vicious long distance strike early in the game to force an outstanding save from Atleti keeper Jan Oblak, while Brazilian Matheus Fernandes narrowly missed the target following a swift counterattack.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone was unable to engage in his usual habit of whipping the Metropolitano crowd into a frenzy as fans are still not allowed into stadiums for safety reasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Getafe's bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time continued to unravel as they could only draw 1-1 at home to struggling Eibar on Saturday although they escaped a worse fate as a late goal for the visitors was ruled out by a VAR review.

The draw kept Getafe fifth on 48 points. They are four points adrift of third-placed Atletico Madrid, who beat Real Valladolid 1-0, and fourth-placed Sevilla.

The Madrid side went ahead in the 30th minute through a well-worked move finished off by Nigerian midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo but Eibar levelled in the fifth minute of added time at the end of the first half through a header from striker Charles.

Both sides had failed to win either of their first two matches since the season resumed although Eibar's Pedro Bigas thought he had clinched the three points with a glancing header in the 86th minute. His effort, however, was ruled out for a narrow offside after a VAR review.

Eibar are 16th on 29, three above Real Mallorca who occupy the final spot in the relegation zone.

Also on Saturday, Espanyol sank back to the bottom of the table after being beaten 3-1 at home by Levante. Espanyol have 24 points, three behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo who have a game in hand.

Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao beat Real Betis 1-0 at home to move into ninth place on 42 points, increasing the pressure on Betis coach Rubi, whose side are 14th on 34. Agencies

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