Atletico Madrid 3-0 RCD Mallorca
Just two points above the relegation zone, given Jagoba Arrasate’s record of 13 defeats in 15 against Diego Simeone, the returning Mallorcan group could feel the presence of the Metropolitano wall on Sunday afternoon. What Arrasate said will have pointed out to his men that this Atletico team is infallible and completely waterless. Since November, Atletico have won just once by more than one goal, and have won just three of their last six Liga games.
A goal by Vedat Muriqi, who scored the most goals with a header in any of these teams with 14 points, in the second minute, followed by three goals by Leo Roman proved that no team has been dressed badly in recent years. First Alexander Sorloth, then Alex Baena and finally Giuliano Simeone were kept out, after several close calls up front in the opening 15 minutes. As they tried to outrun the crowd, caught up in the grumbling of a Sunday lunchtime, Diego Simeone’s side fought the temptation to let the game settle into the same rhythm.
💣🚨 BREAKING – Mateu Alemany signing:
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Just five minutes later, Marcos Llorente’s volley was well met by the busy Roma, only this time Sorloth couldn’t miss the rebound. His third goal in a row in La Liga takes his tally to nine. It was in AtlĂ©tico’s terms that the game went slowly, followed by a small incident 20 minutes, but in the same way, the Colchonero stadium started to sleep a little. Mallorca followed up two set-pieces with their spell of consistent pressure in the final five minutes before the break, although Jan Oblak’s hands were only warmed by his encouragement to his defenders.
Atletico Madrid beat Mallorca’s comeback attempt
A general sense of inadequacy crept into the second half, and Mallorca took that as a sign of encouragement. It was no surprise when Diego Simeone was the first to react, withdrawing Alex Baena from the determined Nicolas Gonzalez. As is often the case at the Metropolitano, Pablo Barrios took it upon himself to change the momentum, firing left first, and finding Sorloth with a cross to the far post, but the Norwegian could only lift high for Roman to claim.
He got the better of a touch on Julian Alvarez’s set piece in the 67th minute, but he couldn’t direct it either way for the Mallorca shot-stopper, and even though Atletico had a clear opening, the crowd gradually grew increasingly angry. Between Atletico’s lack of clarity, the referee and Mallorca’s refusal to show the weaknesses that existed in the first half, the game threatens to end in panic, as happened to Alaves last week.
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– AtlĂ©tico de Madrid (@Atleti) January 25, 2026
The fear of the home players was compounded by Sergi Darder’s swinging ball, which Muriqi found on the head between two defenders. The pitch held its breath as it dropped just wide of the far post. The relief was palpable with 15 minutes to go. Marc Pubill, who continues to shine for Atletico, and Llorente put together a good exchange down the right, and the latter’s ball flashed into the box. David Lopez didn’t see it before Mateu Jaume tried to free him and hit him in the face. He sank when he saw that it had entered his goal.
For Atletico, Thiago Almada drifting from the right side of the box to smash the ball into the roof of the net with two minutes left to seal victory. He had announced that he would stay at Atletico despite rumors that he would be leaving, and as he left to celebrate, he pointed to Diego Simeone, who was also celebrating.
Los Colchoneros move up to third, ahead of Villarreal, after a comfortable afternoon. If there was a stage where it seemed that Atletico were presented with a complex final act, they were quick to denounce the victory as normal. Simeone can now focus on the important Champions League game at home to Bodo/Glimt on Wednesday without worrying too much about the impact on his players.
That would also be a concern for Mallorca. If the ball wasn’t close enough for Muriqi to attack, Jagoba Arrasate’s didn’t faze Atletico. The Basque manager has been keen to emphasize that his team must regain their defensive strength in order to collect a number of results, but they have played seven games without a clean sheet.
