Atletico Madrid beat Real for derby bragging rights and boost Champions League qualification hopes

Atletico Madrid secured a vital win in their hunt for a top-four finish as they beat city rivals Real Madrid 1-0. Carlo Ancelotti made seven changes from the side that completed an incredible comeback in the Champions League semi-final against Man City and his side were well off their best in the first half. Ad/> The hosts deservedly went ahead when Angel Correa ran through on goal and was tripped by Jesus Vallejo in the box.

The referee went to the VAR monitor after initially waving away Atleti’s protests and gave a penalty. Yannick Carrasco stepped up and scored confidently, putting them ahead. Ballon d'OrDani Alves tips Benzema to win Ballon d’Or, discusses his own futureYESTERDAY AT 12:31 The Liga champions improved after the break but failed to create any major chances.

The best opportunities fell to the hosts as Carrasco hit the post and Antoine Griezmann missed two golden opportunities to prevent a frantic finish. Despite late Real Madrid pressure Atletico showed their defensive resilience and held on against this season’s champions — and the win leaves them six points clear of Real Betis in the race for fourth with three games remaining. <a class=«text-br-3-120 hover:underline active:underline» data-analytics-id=«textlink» target="_blank" rel=«noopener» data-testid=«atom-textlink» href=«http://table» https: www.eurosport.co.uk football liga>La Liga La Liga fixtures/resultsLa Liga top scorers TALKING POINT ATLETICO BUST DEFENSIVE MYTH Diego Simeone's side have a reputation for being defensively solid and they proved that again as Real Madrid threw everything at them late in the game as the visitors searched for an equaliser.