Atlético routs Eibar 5-0 to stay ahead in Spanish league

MADRID — Ángel Correa and Marcos Llorente scored two goals each as Atlético Madrid routed last-place Eibar 5-0 to end its winless run and stay top in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Yannick Carrasco also scored to help give Atlético the win after two consecutive setbacks that had allowed Real Madrid and Barcelona to close the gap.

The victory moved Atlético four points ahead of second-place Madrid, which later on Sunday visits relegation-threatened Getafe. Third-place Barcelona, which won the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, will stay five points off the lead.

Atlético was coming off a loss to Sevilla and a 1-1 draw at Real Betis. It faced Eibar without Luis Suárez and João Félix because of injuries.

Correa, one of the players who came in to replace the injured regular starters, broke the deadlock at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium with a goal from close range in the 42nd minute, then quickly added to the lead after a nice turn to clear a defender inside the area in the 44th.

Atlético stayed hungry after the break and Carrasco scored the third goal in a breakaway in the 49th, then Llorente got the fourth from inside the box in the 53rd and the fifth from close range in the 68th.

Eibar’s winless streak in the league reached 14 consecutive matches. The Basque Country club, which had no shots on target, is four points from safety.

Atlético’s next match is Thursday against Huesca, another team fighting against relegation and which on Sunday lost 1-0 at second-to-last-place Alavés after conceding in the 85th minute.

There were no league matches on Saturday because of the Copa del Rey final, and all matches on Sunday were moved forward from the 33rd round because of possible scheduling conflicts with European competitions.

SEVILLA RISES

Sevilla won 2-1 at fifth-place Real Sociedad to move within a point of third-place Barcelona, practically securing the final Champions League spot.

Sevilla has a 17-point gap to both Sociedad and sixth-place Betis, which later hosts Valencia.

Sociedad, which won the postponed 2020 Copa del Rey final two weeks ago, took the lead through Carlos Fernández in the fifth minute, but Sevilla rallied with goals by Fernando in the 22nd and Youssef En-Nesyri in the 24th.

Earlier, 12th-place Osasuna defeated relegation-threatened Elche 2-0.


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