Ten-man Atlético Madrid returned to LaLiga action with a first league win in four matches thanks to a 2-0 home victory over Elche, who received two red cards during the 90 minutes.
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Defender Mario Hermoso, however, had other ideas, picking up two yellow cards in the space of three second-half minutes to restore parity in numbers with more than a third of the game left.
Ultimately, that setback didn’t affect Atlético, who took the lead less than 180 seconds later when Félix headed home Griezmann’s first-time chipped cross.
Félix, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the Spanish capital in recent weeks, appeared eager to prove a point, and forced Badía to parry his low drive shortly after the opener.
Substitute Domingos Quina was sent off late on for two yellow cards in the space of four minutes as Simeone and Co. move up to third in the LaLiga table, albeit having played a game more than third-placed Real Sociedad.
Meanwhile, Elche continue to prop up the division and, with no victories and just four points from their first 15 matches, relegation to the second tier looks inevitable.
