Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in La Liga in a crucial step in their battle for Champions League qualification.
Meanwhile, Girona beat Las Palmas 2-0 to secure their first appearance in the prestigious competition next season thanks to Atletico’s defeat.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico, currently in fourth place, extended that gap to six points ahead of Bilbao and took a crucial advantage with just five games remaining.
After last week’s disappointing European performance and defeat at Alaves, Atlético returned to form with goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Correa and a failed strike from Unai Simon.
Nico Williams opened the scoring for De Paul’s Athletic just minutes after being racially abused while taking a corner.
The defeat dashed Copa del Rey winners Athletic’s hopes of returning to the Champions League after a decade-long absence.
“We are very excited for this game, aiming for three points,” said Nico Williams.
He also highlighted the unfortunate incident of racial abuse he experienced during the game and said that change is needed.
Atletico fans paid tribute to Raul Garcia, a former member of the 2014 champions team who now plays for Atletico.
In an exciting encounter, Atlético led De Paul’s attack, Nico Williams responded with a goal and showed resilience against the odds.
Correa then put Atletico in front with a composed header before Samuel Lino’s header sealed victory for the hosts.
Looking ahead, Atletico coach Simeone said it was important to focus on the challenges ahead and continue his performances until the end of the season.
Separately, Girona’s David Lopez and Artem Dovbyk drove their team to important victories, putting them in second place above Barcelona.
Girona’s historic journey in the top flight could lead to Champions League qualification, which is very important for the club and Spanish football as a whole.
As the season progresses, the Champions League race becomes more intense, promising more exciting encounters and historic moments in La Liga.
