Atletico Madrid beat Alaves 2-1 at home on Saturday in La Liga to maintain their superb run of form since the season resumed, recording a fourth consecutive win to further tighten their hold on third place.
Midfielder Saul Niguez broke the deadlock by heading home a pin-point free kick from Kieran Trippier in the 59th minute, while Diego Costa sent goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco the wrong way from the penalty spot to double their lead in the 73rd.
The hosts had to endure an uncomfortable end to the match though as visiting forward Joselu scored a penalty in added time. The penalty was awarded for a handball by Atletico captain Koke, who will miss next week’s trip to Barcelona through suspension after earning a booking for the incident.
Atletico are third in the standings on 58 points after 32 games, with the win extending their advantage over fourth-placed Sevilla by four points and increasing their gap with fifth-placed Getafe by nine.
Alaves, who slumped to a third straight defeat, are 15th on 35 points, nine above the relegation zone.
Reuters / Marca
5th July 2026
NATO leaders gather next week in Ankara, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with U.S. President Donald Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the con...
4th July 2026
Albanian organised crime groups have significantly expanded their presence across Europe in recent years and, according to anti-mafia researcher Professor Vincenzo Musacchio, have become...
3rd July 2026
Updated 1020
Benna Raises Milk Prices Again as Production Costs Climb: Malta Dairy Products Ltd has increased the prices of several Benna dairy products for the second time in a year,...
2nd July 2026
Morning Briefing
Yorgen Fenech trial over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder begins
The long-awaited trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech over the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia ...
25th June 2026
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
10th June 2026
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
3rd July 2026
Microsoft said it is creating a new company that will help customers select AI technologies that work for their businesses and generate returns on their investment.
Microsoft Frontie...
2nd July 2026
Malta Public Transport will be organising special bus services for the BBC Concert taking place on 4th July 2026, at the Granaries in Floriana.
In order to provide a more convenient t...
8th June 2026
The European Parliament has approved a major new initiative aimed at reducing workplace accidents and strengthening worker protection across the European Union, as concerns continue to g...
8th June 2026
The European Union has approved new rules aimed at tightening the screening of foreign investments in strategic sectors, marking a major shift in Europe’s approach towards economic secur...
2nd July 2026
Malta Public Transport will be organising special bus services for the BBC Concert taking place on 4th July 2026, at the Granaries in Floriana.
In order to provide a more convenient t...
30th June 2026
One month after Gozo’s public transport service has been fully electrified, Gozo’s bus service has recorded more than 332,000 passenger journeys across more than 16,220 trips, demonstrat...
18th June 2026
The U.S. and Iran released the text of an interim agreement their presidents have signed to end their war on Wednesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to resume attacks and...
15th June 2026
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Te...
25th June 2026
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
2nd July 2026
Kyiv will observe a day of mourning on Friday after a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack killed at least 13 people and injured about 90 others, according to city officials.
...
2nd July 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut short his visit to Dublin on Wednesday, warning that the Kremlin would soon launch a new large-scale attack on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy was atten...