Atletico Madrid refuse to leave the top of LaLiga at a key moment

T here are teams fighting for the title, and others trying to stay in the final part of the season.

Atletico Madrid are in that place .

It is not Barcelona who are setting the pace in LaLiga, nor Real Madrid , who are still trying to keep up. Atletico Madrid are playing something else .

He plays to add up and not lose his place,

And its recent moment helps to understand it better.

Before their 3-2 victory over Athletic Club, Atletico had just lost 3-2 to Elche CF on April 22 at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero. A result that did not move the table too much, but left an uncomfortable feeling.

That's why what came next was important.

Today, April 25, 2026, at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Atletico beat Athletic Club 3-2 in a match that moved as the minutes went by.

Alexander Sørloth opened the scoring, Julian Alvarez extended the lead and Antoine Griezmann appeared to score the third.

On the other hand, Iñaki Williams and Oihan Sancet kept the game alive until the end.

It was not a game controlled from start to finish, but it was one that Atletico needed to win .

Because more than getting closer to the top, what was at stake was not to continue losing ground.

And there's the difference.

Today, Atletico are fourth with 60 points after 33 games . They are far from the top of the table, in a league that already seems to be taking shape at the top.

But that doesn't take him out of the context, because at this point his goal is to stay there and, if possible, try to climb a little higher.

Next match:

Their next match will be against Valencia CF on May 2 at Mestalla, at a time when every point still has value. Not to catch Barcelona, but not to be left behind.