‘Felix made a big impact’
La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid secured a vital 2-0 win away to Villarreal on Sunday to reaffirm their title ambitions following a difficult run of results.
A first win in four games in all competitions moved Atletico on to 58 points after 24 games, five clear of second-placed Barcelona, who have played 25, and six above third-placed Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone heaped praised on Joao Felix after the 21-year-old responded to being benched for Sunday's match by scoring as a substitute to seal a badly-needed win.
Atletico's 126-million-euro ($152 million) forward was excluded from the starting lineup for the second time in three matches and had been largely ineffective when he did start in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League.
He was introduced at the start of the second half with his side a goal up against Villarreal and settled their nerves with an instinctive volley, scoring for the first time since late January. "He scored a great goal and made a big impact and that's what we need from him. I love it when players rebel and try to prove how strong they are. He's very important to us," Simeone said.
The Portuguese marked the goal by putting his finger to his lips although Simeone would not be drawn on whether his player was trying to send him a message over not starting the game. "We'll have to ask him why he did that," said the coach.
Defender Stefan Savic added: "Joao hadn't scored for a very long time and I'm delighted for him because he's a player with incredible talent. I don't think he was angry with anyone, he knows what we need."
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