Costa and Félix score as Atlético Madrid ends winless streak
MADRID (AP) — Diego Costa and João Félix scored a goal each as Atlético Madrid defeated promoted Mallorca 2-0 on Wednesday to halt a three-game winless streak and move back to the top of the Spanish league standings.
Costa scored his first goal of the season with a first-half header in Mallorca, and Félix sealed the victory after halftime.
Atlético has 13 points from six matches, one point more than Athletic Bilbao, which lost the lead after being held to a 1-1 draw at last-place Leganés.
Real Madrid can move past both Atlético and Athletic if it beats promoted Osasuna at home later on Wednesday.
Atlético hosts Real Madrid on Saturday.
Diego Simeone’s team had drawn its last two matches, against Celta Vigo in the league and Juventus in the Champions League, both at home. It lost at Real Sociedad in its previous league match.
Atlético played with 10 men against Mallorca from the 77th minute as striker Álvaro Morata was sent off following an altercation with an opponent. Morata had replaced Costa in the 69th.
Costa, who missed the beginning of the season because of an injury, opened the scoring with a firm header in the 26th. Félix added to the lead in the 64th after his shot from inside the area deflected on a defender and went over the Mallorca goalkeeper. It was the second goal of the season for Félix, the 19-year-old Portugal forward who joined from Benfica in the offseason.
Japanese teenager Takefusa Kubo, playing for Mallorca on a loan from Real Madrid, nearly scored for the hosts with a second-half shot that hit the post.
Mallorca, 17th in the 20-team standings with four points, has lost two in a row and hasn’t won since the opener against second-to-last-place Eibar.
UNBEATEN ATHLETIC
Athletic Bilbao took the lead at Leganés with a penalty converted by Raul Garcia in the 59th, but Óscar Rodríguez equalized two minutes later with a well-placed free kick.
The result kept Athletic as one of the three teams without a loss, along with Real Madrid and Osasuna. Leganés is yet to win after six matches and has only two points from six matches.
