dpa
Berlin
Marcos Llorente and Alvaro Morata scored as Atletico Madrid earned a 2-0 win at Sevilla on Saturday, ratcheting up pressure on home boss Julen Lopetegui. Koke claimed an assist for the opening goal, on the day he made a record-breaking 554th Atletico appearance, with Llorente taking the plaudits after placing a neat finish into the bottom-left corner.
Sevilla have won just one league game so far this season, and their lack of confidence was clear as Diego Simeone’s men extended their lead through Morata’s finish from a one-on-one chance after 57 minutes.
The result lifts Atleti into fifth in LaLiga’s early-season standings, while Lopetegui appears to be on borrowed time at Sevilla after overseeing another meek reverse.
Atleti made a bright start as Llorente headed wide following a good run from Saul Niguez, before Morata blasted over the crossbar when presented with a decent opening 19 minutes in.
But Llorente was not to be denied after 29 minutes, collecting a fine pass from Koke before shifting the ball to his right foot and drilling beyond Yassine Bounou.
Llorente then sent a fierce effort into the side netting as Sevilla were pinned back, and Kasper Dolberg’s tame header was the sum of the hosts’ efforts before they were booed off at the break.
The half-time introductions of Ivan Rakitic and Jesus Navas saw Sevilla enjoy more possession, but they went 2-0 down when Matheus Cunha took advantage of Jose Angel Carmona’s error before teeing up Morata for a delicate chipped finish.
What’s next? Both teams are in Champions League action in midweek. Sevilla host Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, while Atleti go to Club Brugge on Tuesday.
La Liga Results
Sevilla 0Attletico 2
Cadiz CF 0Villarreal 0
Getafa 2Valladolid 3