Saúl Ñíguez’s late winner ends Atlético Madrid’s poor runInter beat Empoli; Bologna dream of Champions League
Saúl Ñíguez came off the bench to score a late winner, giving Atlético Madrid a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Villarreal, as Diego Simeone’s side climbed back into La Liga’s top four with eight games left.
It was a much-needed win for Atlético after two consecutive losses had left them in danger of missing out on a Champions League spot next season. The visitors started well and were in control when Axel Witsel headed in from a corner to give Atlético the lead in the ninth minute. But Alexander Sørloth took advantage of a mistake by Antoine Griezmann to equalise five minutes after the break. The France forward stepped on the ball and lost possession before Villarreal found Sørloth who fired a tidy finish past Jan Oblak.