Atletico Madrid welcomed Real Valladolid this Saturday for matchday 30 of La Liga. Returning to the Wanda Metropolitano after three and a half months away, the Colchonero suffered but managed to get a simple 1-0 victory. The only goal of the match was scored by Vitolo.

The first half of the match was quite hectic. Both sides were attacking and there were clear opportunities of scoring for the two of them. In just three minutes, the visitors had already obligated goalkeeper Jan Oblak to make a good save. One minute later, it was the hosts’ turn to scare, with Alvaro Morata’s header, but the ball went wide.

After that, the match continued in a very offensive game, with Atleti having more the ball but not creating more than their opponents. Even with the chances created by both clubs, they went to the locker room without goals.

In the second half, manager Diego Simeone tried to chance some pieces to improve their team quality. And it worked. The first to get in was Diego Costa, who already changed a little Atletico’s pace.

Close to the end of the match, Vitolo came in the place of Marcos Llorente, and, at the 81st minute, he broke the deadlock. After a corner kick, goalkeeper Carro missed the ball, leaving it clear to Vitolo, who headed into the goal. Defender Kiko Olivas almost took the ball out, but after VAR checked the play, they confirmed the goal for Atleti.

With the result, Atletico Madrid took the 3rd place on the table, with 52 points. This establishes them in the qualification zone for next season’s Champions League. Meanwhile, Real Valladolid is in 15th place, with 33 points. Both teams come back to the pitch this Tuesday for matchday 31. Atleti will visit Levante, while Valladolid will welcome Getafe.