Morata brace strengthens Atleti's UCL position
Alvaro Morata scored twice as Atletico Madrid maintained its unbeaten run since the resumption of LaLiga, easing to a 3-0 victory over Real Mallorca at Wanda Metropolitano.
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Diego Simeone's in-form side followed up Wednesday's (AEST) impressive performance in the 2-2 draw at Barcelona by brushing aside a relegation-threatened opponent, in the process strengthening its position inside the top four.
Morata made the most of Mallorca players encroaching too soon into the penalty area to score his first from the spot, VAR (video assistant referee) giving him a reprieve after Manolo Reina had saved his initial effort.
Mallorca’s captain guessed correctly with the re-taken spot-kick too, yet Morata had enough height on his strike to beat the goalkeeper and move into double figures for league goals this season.
The striker had missed an earlier opening as Aleti started impressively, while both Yannick Carrasco and Joao Felix failed to hit the target with excellent opportunities before the opener arrived in the 29th minute.
Mallorca had thrashed nearest rival Celta Vigo 5-1 at home in midweek and had its moments in attack before the break, Takefusa Kubo looking particularly bright.
However, any hope of the visitors claiming a bonus in the capital disappeared when Atleti doubled its advantage in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, the excellent Marcos Llorente, lining up on the right wing, crossing low for Morata to tap in at the back post.
Scoring just prior to the break allowed Atleti to coast through the second half, although iy did add to its tally.
Captain Koke seized on a weak clearing header to get away a strike that took a heavy deflection off Antonio Raillo, wrong-footing the helpless Reina.
It is now five wins and two draws for Simeone's squad since it returned to action in the middle of June, a run of form that has eased concerns about finishing outside the UEFA Champions League places.
While the surge comes too late to mount a title challenge, things are looking up for Atletico. That is not the case for 18th-placed Mallorca, as it now has just four games left to try and retain its top-flight status.
Atleti takes on another team in relegation trouble on Wednesday (AEST), heading on the road to face Celta Vigo. Mallorca, meanwhile, has extra time to recover before it hosts Levante next Friday (AEST).