MADRID (Reuters) -Atletico Madrid cruised to a convincing 3-0 home win over bottom side Valencia on Sunday in LaLiga thanks to goals from Conor Gallagher, Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez.
Marcos Llorente and Samuel Lino went close in the first half before Atletico took the lead in the 39th minute when new signing Gallagher finished into the bottom corner after latching on to a delightful pass from Rodrigo De Paul that was slipped through the legs of defender Cristhian Mosquera.
Alexander Sorloth, another summer signing for Diego Simeone’s revamped side, also created a couple of dangerous chances only to be denied by goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Valencia fought hard for an equaliser, with Javi Guerra’s long-range effort going wide, but they were unable to prevent Griezmann from finding the net after Lino’s header fell into his path nine minutes after the break.
Another new recruit, Alvarez, put the icing on the cake with his first goal in the Spanish top flight after joining from Manchester City, when he slotted home Rodrigo Riquelme’s cross in the 93rd minute.
“I didn’t feel any pressure (to score), I simply say that the goal happens as a result of the game and you have to be prepared for when the opportunity comes,” Alvarez told Spanish TV.
“We’re doing well as a group, we’re getting off to a good start. Now we have Champions League games coming up and we have to keep working to keep this momentum going,” he added.
Atletico, who are unbeaten this season, moved into second place, level on 11 points with Real Madrid and four behind leaders Barcelona. They face RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Thursday.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
