Osasuna 1-3 Atletico Madrid
João Félix had a highly eventful afternoon in La Liga on Saturday, scoring twice and missing a penalty as Atletico Madrid made it three wins in a row to move up to 3rd place in Spain.
Having earned plaudits for his brace in midweek against Salzburg in the Champions League, Félix made it four goals in two games with another double, leading to boss Diego Simeone praising his development.
The former Benfica man put Atletico ahead just before half time from the penalty spot after Vitolo was fouled by Facundo Roncaglia, with Félix dispatching his spot kick emphatically into the bottom left corner. Another penalty was awarded to the visitors just minutes after the restart, but Félix failed to find the same area of the goal as his effort struck the base of the post.
Not to be denied, Félix made it 2-0 on 69 minutes, receiving the ball from Angel Correa before setting himself and beating Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera with a superb finish. Ante Budimir pulled a goal back for the hosts with ten minutes left but Lucas Torreira, who replaced Félix late on, got Atleti’s third in the final minutes.
“We must continue”
“On a personal level, I’m very happy with the goals and collectively we played a great game too,” Félix said after the match.
“We are doing very well [to be unbeaten in La Liga] and we have to continue like this, with the commitment of the whole team we are doing very well.
“It is a good start to the season [for me] which is what I’m working for, my teammates help me to continue to bring joy. The penalties? The first went in just right, the second not. Anyone can miss.”
Atletico boss Simeone summed up his Portuguese star emphasising his greater reliability on the pitch. “Joao has always had important moments. What is making everyone talk as they are talking about him is the consistency he is showing in his game, in his performance.”
By Sean Gillen
