Atletico Madrid thrashes luckless Mallorca
By DPA, IANSMonday, January 17, 2011
MADRID - Atletico Madrid moved up to sixth in the Spanish Liga with a rocky 3-0 home defeat of Mallorca, despite the sending-off of captain Antonio Lopez.
Right-back Juan Valera gave Atletico the lead in the 13th minute by heading in a corner from Jose Antonio Reyes. Diego Forlan made it 2-0 in the 34th minute with a cool finish, after being played through by Tiago.
However, Mallorca refused to give up, and they forced several sharp saves from Atletico’s young keeper David de Gea. In the 68th minute Atletico left-back Lopez was sent off for pulling down Emilio Nsue, but De Gea delighted the Estadio Calderon by saving the penalty of Pierre Webo.
Eight minutes later Mallorca striker Gonzalo Castro hit De Gea’s post with a fierce shot. It was to be a luckless night for the islanders, for whom the final straw was a second yellow card for midfielder Jonathan De Guzman.
Reyes completed a gratifying night for Atletico by making it 3-0 in stoppage time after being set up by newboy Juanfran.
The eventful win takes Atletico up to sixth, with 30 points from 19 matches. They are four points behind fifth-placed Espanyol but one ahead of seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao.
Mallorca, for their part, stay eighth, on 27 points.
Because of his direct red card, Lopez will miss Thursday’s King Cup showdown at home to neighbours Real Madrid, who won the first leg 3-1 in the Estadio Bernabeu. Atletico will also be without injured striker Sergio Aguero.
