Atletico Madrid ease past Getafe to move closer to FC Barcelona
Despite being depleted by injuries, Atletico Madrid kept pressure on Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league standings.
Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez scored first-half goals as Atletico defeated Getafe 2-0 on Saturday to move within two points of leader Barcelona, which on Sunday visits Girona.
Diego Simeone's team earned the comfortable home victory even though it was missing injured players such as Diego Costa, Filipe Luis, Angel Correa and Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion.
Simeone had fewer than 15 first-team players available at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. He used 18-year-old youth player Victor Mollejo as one of his second-half substitutes.
The win came amid transfer rumors involving some of its top players, including star defender Diego Godin, who is reportedly near a deal to join Inter Milan. Godin started on Saturday but had to be substituted at halftime with an apparent muscle injury.
The extension of Simeone's contract also has been a hot topic in recent days, as is the probable arrival of striker Alvaro Morata from Chelsea. Some fans at the Metropolitano sang criticizing the signing of Morata, a former Real Madrid player.
"We always respect the fans' opinion, but I have to search for players I think will best serve the team and the club," Simeone said.
Atletico is unbeaten in 18 straight league games. It's only league loss was in September.
Getafe, one of the surprises in the league, saw defenders Leandro Cabrera and Dakonam Ortega Djene sent off in the final minutes after being shown second yellow cards.
"We didn't play well," Getafe coach Jose Bordalas said. "We weren't ourselves."
The team from southern Madrid stayed sixth in the standings despite the defeat, which comes before it defends a 1-0 first-leg win against Valencia in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
