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La Liga roundup: Atletico take second from Real Madrid, Getafe close gap to Cadiz

Tom McNeil, Juan Pablo Aravena
Griezmann is in fine form for Atletico
Griezmann is in fine form for AtleticoAFP
Atletico Madrid put five past Cadiz to move up to second in La Liga, ahead of local rivals Real, while Getafe held on to beat Celta Vigo and go level on points with Valencia in what is turning out to be an extremely tight fight for survival.

Atletico Madrid 5 Cadiz 1

Atletico Madrid continued their fantastic home form with a 5-1 La Liga victory over Cadiz, making it seven straight victories for Diego Simeone’s men who are now second in the table.

Cadiz’s efforts to avoid relegation had been buoyed by a four-game unbeaten run away from home, but they simply weren’t ready for an Atleti side determined to leapfrog their city rivals Real Madrid with a victory.

They controlled the game from the first whistle, and barely a full minute had elapsed before Yannick Carrasco played a simple pass to Antoine Griezmann in the box, allowing the Frenchman to compose himself and smash home the opener with a deft finish.

The visitors did their best to try and gain a foothold in the game, but Griezmann produced another moment of class midway through the first half, after again beating the offside trap in the box, before converting coolly via Thomas Lemar’s layoff.

Other chances came and went before the break, and while the Rojiblancos didn’t punish their outclassed visitors again in the opening half, it always seemed a question of how many as they left the field firmly on top.

Predictably, the hosts struck again just minutes after the restart. The build-up was scrappy as the ball eventually found its way to Alvaro Morata, but the striker showed excellent poise with a great first touch and a powerful finish which left Jeremias Ledesma helpless.

And while Cadiz may never have seen this game as a realistic route to ensuring survival, it started to turn into a truly confidence-sapping rout five minutes later, when Carrasco converted a penalty to make it 4-0.

It made no difference to the outcome of the match, but Choco Lozano did score what was undoubtedly the goal of the game soon after Carrasco’s contribution, with an absolute rocket from distance which found the far top corner.

That moment of joy was desperately short-lived, however, as Atleti restored their four-goal advantage immediately. Capitalising on a Cadiz defence still in awe of Lozano's world-class consolation, Nahuel Molina showed composure to take an extra touch in the box, before tucking home a calm finish at the near post.

Having hit five goals in successive La Liga rounds for the first time this century, Atletico deservedly sit in second spot, after a fantastic run of form that sees them now targeting eight straight home league wins – a streak last completed back in January 2021.

Meanwhile, in sheer contrast to the Rojiblancos’ situation, Cadiz’s breathing room at the wrong end of the table has been reduced to only one point, following Getafe’s victory this evening.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

See all the match stats here.

Getafe 1 Celta Vigo 0

Enes Unal's third-minute penalty was all Getafe needed to secure a much-needed 1-0 win over Celta Vigo in their quest to avoid relegation from La Liga. The result also ended the home outfit’s three-game losing run.

Getafe enjoyed a strong start to the game and only needed three minutes to break the deadlock through Enes Unal - who else? The Turkey international had scored a career-best 13 league goals this season prior to kick-off, and he stepped up to net his 14th from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Fran Beltran in the area.

Celta initially looked uncomfortable, with Carlos Carvalhal’s decision to move to a back five not producing the expected results. However, the visitors began to control possession midway through the first although clear-cut opportunities were scarce at both ends. Despite ending the first half with 68 per cent possession, the visitors couldn’t muster anything even remotely dangerous before the break.

Celta attempted to shake things up and made two changes during the interval, replacing Jorgen Strand Larsen and Javi Galan with Haris Seferovic and Luca De La Torre respectively. The substitutes, though, did not improve Los Celestes’ creativity.

In all fairness, Getafe didn’t offer much either, but Unal’s mobility and the busy Carles Alena were enough to ruffle the visiting defence. Jose Bordalas’ side came close to scoring their second in the 52nd minute through Jaime Mata, but Ivan Villar brilliantly blocked his close-range effort.

Celta’s general lack of ideas was alarming, and besides talisman Iago Aspas, who had a decent chance in the 70th minute, no one looked like affecting the match’s outcome.

Ultimately, Getafe were never really put under any pressure and were able to see out the game relatively comfortably, with their task made even easier when Celta’s Joseph Aidoo was sent off in the 77th minute. Munir El Haddadi had the final chance of the game for the hosts, but his effort from point-blank range smashed the crossbar and bounced off the line.

As a result, the victors ended a six-game winless streak and earned three vital points in their attempts to beat the drop. Although they remain in the drop zone, they now trail Valencia only on goal difference.

Celta, meanwhile, remain in mid-table, but have now lost four of their last five games and are in acute danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Enes Unal (Getafe)

See all the match stats here.