Former Liverpool man Fernando Torres came off the bench to seal a much needed 1-0 win for Atletico Madrid against Villarreal on Wednesday. The El Ninoa s goal puts Atletico Madrid six points clear of fourth place Sevilla, with four games remaining and the striker said after the game that Rojiblancos are now a step closer to the Champions League.
Going into this game, Villarreal were on a winless streak of nine games and they again failed to get a positive result against Atletico Madrid at El Madrigal on Wednesday. Both the teams made a slow start to the game as they avoided to take any risks in first 45 minutes.
But Atletico Madrid looked more resolute in the second half and they created some chances for themselves. And Fernando Torres, a second half substitute, came to the rescue of Rojiblancos in the 74th minute with a help from the unfortunate Eric Bailly. The Ivory Coast defender made mistake which allowed Torres to bear down on goal and the striker made no mistake in taking the benefit of his error.
This was Fernando Torresa fifth goal for Atletico Madrid since joining them in January from AC Milan and he looked happy after the game.
“It was a close game that could have gone either way, but you cannot say the result is unfair. Today, we had a lot of the ball but we didn’t create chances and they seemed comfortable,” Fernando Torres said to Canal Plus after the match.
“The goal means our objective for next season is much closer. It’s important to qualify for next season’s Champions League. The sooner, the better.
“You always want to contribute more. We all have to demand more from ourselves.”
