Luis Suarez’s penalty put Atlético Madrid six points clear at the top of La Liga on Wednesday as the leaders beat a resurgent athletic Bilbao 2–1. Atletico won late to draw with Real Madrid on Sunday, resulting in their opponents in the title race and allowing Barcelona to move just three points behind. But Diego Simeon’s side made full use of the final game, defeating Iker Munai’s opener for Bilbao with Marcos Lorente’s header and Suerz spot-kick, which dominated in the first half. Suarez and Lorente have been the driving force behind Atletico’s post and so it proved again in Wanda Metropolitano, with Suarez scoring his 18th league goal of the season after Larsent finished his ninth.
“For a year now Marcos has discounted the word effort,” Simeon said.
“He arrived at the club, he was not on the team, not even on the bench, but he did try to get training and get to where he wanted to get and he managed it.”
Victory made Atleti eight points clear of Real Madrid, and while Atletico are still scheduled to play in Barcelona in May, a Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu the following month complicates matters further for their arch rivals.
By winning Karim Benzema in the 88th minute on Sunday, Atletico gave Real Madrid a chance to take a heavy blow and it was easy to let the disappointment wander.
Instead, he rallied to defeat one of the form’s sides in the league and took another step closer to lifting his first La Liga title since 2014.
“It was definitely very important,” Simeon said. “After Sunday, we needed to win.”
Bilbao has been replaced since the appointment of Marcelino Garcia Toral, who in two months saw him win the Spanish Super Cup, reach the final of the Copa del Rey and return to contention for European qualification in La Liga.
His team was strong and fast in the first half, pushing Atletico back and forth towards their goal.
A superb pass from Oscar de Marcos when Inaki Williams was sent back and Munin got a place in their cutoff, which ended the brunt.
Atletico struggled for the chance, but against playing, found a lifeline at the stroke of half-time with a goal similar to Bilbao.
This time Thomas was threaded through Lemur and his cross met the head of Lorente.
This was an important goal, changing the theater of the second half, with the introduction of Atlético where they left.
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Lorlant found Suarez, who wandered in front of Unai Nunz and stumbled on his swinging leg. Suarez threw a penalty into the corner.
Atletico could have made it more comfortable, but Yannick Carrasco failed to complete the Suarez cross, while Lorente was unable to make the most of the opening at the bottom.
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