Atletico Madrid reclaim third spot with Sevilla win
Atleti celebrate
Marcos Llorente made an instant impact and restored Atletico Madrid to third spot with a 1-0 win over Sevilla in Saturday's only LaLiga fixture.
The contest, initially set to be played in September but postponed due to weather, remained goalless until after the break when Diego Simeone – celebrating his 12th anniversary as Atletico boss – swapped Nahuel Molina for Llorente.
His side were ahead barely a minute into the second half after Llorente, who initially saw a cross blocked by Sergio Ramos, benefitted when the interception's rebound favourably landed at his feet at the edge of the six-yard box and he fired into the far corner.
Fellow replacement Caglar Soyuncu was sent off following a VAR check just four minutes after his 66th-minute introduction for a tackle on Lucas Ocampos, but Atletico nevertheless managed to nullify the visitors' threat and cling onto victory, leaving them level on 38 points with fourth-placed Barcelona but with the advantage on goal difference.
There was no action in the Bundesliga or Ligue 1, which both resume their campaigns in 2024.
READ MORE: Ben White lauds Arsenal's 'unbelievable' centre-back duo
