Atletico Madrid produced their finest performance of the season at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday night, routing CA Osasuna 4-0 to climb into third place in La Liga and build formidable momentum ahead of Sunday’s high-stakes derby against Real Madrid. Diego Simeone’s side controlled the contest from the outset against an Osasuna team that struggled to offer any real threat throughout the evening. The breakthrough arrived in the 24th minute when Jonathan David netted his second goal in as many matches to put the hosts ahead. Atletico continued to press high up the pitch, with Cristian Romero driving forward from deep as the home side created enough chances before the break to build a wider advantage.
The momentum only accelerated after the interval as Atletico converted their dominance into clinical execution. In the 54th minute, Lee Kang-in doubled the lead with a sharp angled drive. Robin Le Normand then extended the margin to three by capitalizing from a corner kick, before Alex Baena rounded off the dominant display by turning home a pass from Johnny Cardoso. Simeone praised his team’s display after the final whistle, pointing out that Atletico finally found consistency across all areas of the pitch. Despite navigating key selection absences with Alvarez, Barrios, and Sørloth all sidelined, Simeone noted that while a 4-0 scoreline might look straightforward on paper, maintaining such high momentum and control remains complex and demanding.
Elsewhere in Spanish top-flight action on Wednesday, FC Barcelona maintained their flawless record at the summit of La Liga, making it six wins from six matches with an emphatic 7-2 victory over newly promoted Racing Santander at Camp Nou. Racing arrived having made eight changes from the side that beat Alaves last weekend, but Barcelona quickly asserted their authority. Joao Cancelo opened the scoring with an excellent strike before Raphinha converted a penalty to hand the league leaders a swift 2-0 cushion. Raphinha went on to star in the thrashing, completing a hat-trick as Barcelona ran rampant to remain top of the table.
Sevilla also sustained their fine early-season form on Wednesday, earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory on the road against Deportivo La Coruna. The decisive moment came in the 52nd minute when Miguel Sierra capitalized on a goalkeeping error to turn the ball into the net. Deportivo’s task grew significantly harder on the hour mark when left-back Angelino was shown a red card for a bad challenge, leaving the hosts reduced to ten men for the remainder of the match. Meanwhile, severe weather impacted the evening’s scheduled action, as a thunderstorm at the Ciudad de Valencia Stadium forced the match between Levante and Athletic Bilbao to be postponed prior to kickoff.
With Wednesday’s results reshaping the upper reaches of the table, attention turns to Thursday’s scheduled fixtures in La Liga. Real Betis are set to host Getafe, while Malaga will welcome Villarreal as teams look to close out the mid-week round of action. For Atletico Madrid, however, Wednesday’s comprehensive four-goal victory provides the perfect springboard into Sunday’s derby against Real Madrid, proving that Simeone’s men are hitting form at just the right moment.
