Atletico Madrid concluded their La Liga campaign with a 2-0 win against Real Sociedad on Saturday. The victory was secured by a first-half goal from Brazilian winger Samuel Lino and a stoppage-time tap-in by Reinildo Mandava.
Having already guaranteed fourth place and a spot in next season’s Champions League, Atletico finished the season with 76 points, 11 points ahead of Athletic Bilbao in fifth. Real Sociedad, in sixth place, has qualified for the Europa League.
Runaway champions Real Madrid topped the standings with 94 points, 12 ahead of second-placed Barcelona and 13 clear of Girona in third.
Atletico took an early lead in the ninth minute when Marcos Llorente’s run up the right wing culminated in a low cross to Lino, who finished neatly past Real Sociedad’s goalkeeper, Alex Remiro. Both Remiro and Atletico’s keeper, Jan Oblak, made several crucial saves during the match. Atletico were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when Saul Niguez received a second yellow card.
In the final move of the match, Atletico sealed the win with a counterattack led by Alvaro Morata, who provided a perfect cross for Reinildo to tap into an empty net.
Reflecting on the match, Samuel Lino said, “We were good, focused, and played a solid game. This win should give us a boost going forward. Although we didn’t meet all of our objectives this season, finishing on a high note is important. Now, we can regroup and come back stronger next season.”
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