Atlético Madrid dismantled bottom-placed Real Valladolid with a resounding 5-0 triumph at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium – their seventh straight victory in all tournaments.
In an action-packed first half, Atlético opened the scoring in the 26th minute through an unexpected player, as Clément Lenglet netted his debut goal for the team with a straightforward tap-in from Marcos Llorente’s pass across the area. Interestingly, the French defender had not found the net in LaLiga since featuring for Barcelona at the same ground against Valladolid nearly four years ago.
Julián Alvarez registered his name on the scoresheet nine minutes later when Karl Hein could only deflect Antoine Griezmann’s initial attempt into the path of the Argentine, who calmly slotted the rebound, following Giuliano Simeone’s impressive drive and delivery.
Boos echoed around the stadium after Rodrigo De Paul drilled home a third at the conclusion of a rapid counterattack, as Griezmann skillfully feinted over Javi Galán’s pass from the left flank. It was a punishing first half for Valladolid, which might have been even more damaging had strikes from Giuliano and José María Giménez not been disallowed for offside.
An almost inevitable fourth goal followed after halftime from Griezmann, who gracefully chipped the ball over Hein after displaying remarkable composure and positioning in the area to control an Alvarez through pass. This drew applause from the stands in a commendable act of fair play by Valladolid’s supporters.
The White and Violets’ fans were offered glimpses of hope heading into the final 20 minutes, as a speculative long-range shot from Ivan Sanchez rattled the crossbar. Kike Perez was next to test his fortune with an effort that drifted wide of Jan Oblak’s goal, as the home side displayed slight second-half improvement. Nevertheless, there was still time for the visitors to score a fifth with virtually the final kick of the match, as Alexander Sørloth poked in Ángel Correa’s delivery.
It was a humbling evening for Paulo Pezzolano’s squad, who have now endured seven consecutive home league matches without a victory in a single season for the first time since April 2010. Meanwhile, Diego Simeone’s team climb into second place – at least temporarily – ahead of city rivals Real Madrid’s clash with Getafe on Sunday.
