Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez was left on the Atletico Madrid bench for the start of the Spanish La Ligaclash with Celta Vigo on Saturday as the capital club emerged 2-0 winners to make it two straight league wins thus boosting their bid to finish in the top four places and qualify for Champions League football next season.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone began the Celta Vigo game with a two-man strike force of Portuguese international Joao Felix and Argentine player Angel Correa. The likes of Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemarand Rodrigo De Paul were left on a star-studded Atletico Madrid bench.
Brazilian left-back Renan Lodi was the star of the Celta Vigo game after he scored twice either side of the half-time interval to lead the defending champions to an important win in the league. Lodi scored the first of his two goals with nine minutes left in the first half.The fullback sealed the win for Atletico Madrid on the hour mark.
Luis Suarez has not been a regular in the Atletico Madrid starting XI in recent weeks and he was on the bench for the Celta Vigo game until he was subbed on for Joao Felix on 72 minutes when the match has already been won and lost.
The win over Celta Vigo took Atletico Madrid above Barcelona and into fourth spot, but they are back in fifth spot after the Catalans thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4-0 at home on Sunday. New signing Pierre-EmerickAubameyang made it five goals in his last three Barcelona games to give the Catalan giants the lead in the first half before Frenchman OusmaneDembele and the Dutch duo of Memphis Depay and Luuk De Jong added further goals in the last quarter.
Apart from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Real Betis are the other teams in the race to qualify for Champions League football in the new season.