<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Antoine Griezmann pulled the strings for Atletico Madrid as they shredded Ruben Baraja's helpless Valencia 3-0 in La Liga on Saturday.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The French forward opened the scoring for the hosts at the Metropolitano and continued his own superb form with another fine display at the heart of Diego Simeone's side.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yannick Carrasco doubled Atletico's lead early in the second half and Thomas Lemar sealed the win, with the Rojiblancos, third, moving six points clear of fourth-placed Real Sociedad, having played a game more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The defeat leaves the troubled Los Che 17th, level on 26 points with Getafe, 18th, who host Sevilla on Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Atletico recorded a fifth win in six La Liga games and tightened their hold on third place with a confident display, the kind they could not find in the first half of the campaign.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Before the World Cup nothing was going for us, and now everything is," Atletico midfielder Marcos Llorente told DAZN.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The team is happy, and looking forward to keep on winning games, and the objective is to finish as high as we can.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We know all we have left is La Liga so we will try to climb ranks. Above us we have big teams, why not try and catch them up?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Memphis Depay missed two good chances for Atletico early on before Griezmann broke the deadlock after 23 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Llorente burst forward and fed the striker, and while there was a stroke of luck about his first touch, which appeared to bounce off his foot and set the ball up nicely, the second was a neat finish for his ninth league goal of the season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Valencia thought they had responded through Hugo Duro but his strike was ruled out by VAR for a foul at the other end of the pitch by Dimitri Foulquier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Atletico stroll -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first half was intense and fairly even, but Atletico strolled to victory in the second after Carrasco tucked home from close range soon after the break.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Griezmann threaded a fine pass through for Alvaro Morata, who left Valencia defender Eray Comert in the dust and crossed for Lemar to head home.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The team is doing very well, when the group is good and the team competes in the way it's competing, it's a difficult one (to face)," Simeone told DAZN.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We could have been better in our finishing, we were generating chances, but didn't have the decisiveness to kill off the game. In the second half the goals came.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We're happy with how the team is growing."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Samuel Lino hit the post for Valencia late on but they could not even manage a consolation strike on another deeply worrying away day for Baraja's side.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We're really down, we didn't have a good game," Valencia captain Jose Gaya told DAZN.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The disallowed goal affected us. (The ref) didn't think it was a foul and with VAR, he changed the decision."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The defeat was Baraja's third in five games since taking over the side he used to play for in February.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We are very disappointed. Since I've been here this is the game where we've been the least recognisable (as Valencia)," Baraja said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Penalty pitfall -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rayo Vallecano were held to a 2-2 draw by Girona after missing a penalty which Oscar Trejo attempted to pass to Isi Palazon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Trejo saw a first spot-kick saved by Paulo Gazzaniga, but was allowed to take it again for encroachment by Girona.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On his second attempt he laid the ball off to the onrushing Palazon, who fired over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2016 Barcelona successfully executed the move in La Liga, with Lionel Messi passing a penalty to Luis Suarez, who scored against Celta Vigo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Trejo and Palazon's miss brought back memories of Arsenal attempting the same move against Manchester City in the Premier League in 2005, when Robert Pires attempted to pass to Thierry Henry but bungled the move.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The draw leaves Rayo provisionally eighth while Girona sit 12th.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Celta Vigo won 3-1 at Espanyol with talented midfielder Gabri Veiga scoring a fine goal to continue his good form. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>