SOCCER: Atletico ease past Mallorca to climb to third in LaLiga

MADRID — Atletico Madrid secured a commanding 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Mallorca on Sunday, with goals from Alexander Sorloth, an own goal by David Lopez, and a strike from substitute Thiago Almada. The win allowed Diego Simeone’s side to leapfrog Villarreal into third place in the LaLiga standings.

Atletico now sits on 44 points, three points ahead of Villarreal, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday.

Real Madrid remains at the top of the table with 51 points, two points ahead of Barcelona, who have one game in hand and host bottom-placed Osasuna later on Sunday. Mallorca is currently in 16th place with 21 points, hovering just above the relegation zone.

Atletico took early control of the match and dominated possession throughout. Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman made several impressive saves to keep his side in the game, but there was little he could do when Sorloth opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.

After a corner from Julian Alvarez, Marcos Llorente struck a powerful volley that forced a brilliant save from Roman. The rebound fell perfectly to the Norwegian forward, who tapped the ball into the net from close range.

The hosts continued to press, but Mallorca’s defensive struggles showed again in the 77th minute. While attempting to clear a low cross from Llorente, Mateu Morey’s clearance deflected off teammate David Lopez and ricocheted into the net.

Atletico sealed the victory in the 87th minute when Almada displayed his skill. The Argentine international controlled a rebound, skipped past two defenders, and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

-Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters