Atlético de Madrid only needed the first half to overcome Valencia this Saturday at Mestalla (0-3) and provisionally take the lead, in a match that was a formality with a double by Julián Álvarez and accompanied in the direction of Antoine Griezmann with a recital of passes to continue in the fight for LaLiga and that culminated in the 86th with Ángel Correa.

Valencia faced this Saturday the least scored team in the competition and a match against such a rival always carries a great responsibility. And Carlos Corberán tried. The Valencian coach lined up Iván Jaime and Sadiq Umar as starters for the first time to try to pierce the rojiblanca goal. But they did not succeed.

Julián Álvarez, world champion with Argentina and one of the best signings of the season, has begun to prove his worth game by game. Against Valencia, he scored a brace that positions him as one of the most important players on the team and a key figure for the upcoming match between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 on March 4.

The first

With an excellent display of positioning and awareness on the field, the sensational former River Plate player scored the first goal after finishing off a scrappy play by Atlético, where the crossbar almost denied the goal to Diego Simeone's side, following a brilliant assist from Antoine Griezmann.

A double by 'The Spider'

Later, once again Griezmann controlled the ball at the edge of the box, and after a fantastic cross, he assisted Julián Álvarez, who scored with a precise header to give Atleti the lead and make the River Plate fans celebrate, seeing their former player shining in one of the best teams in the world.

Atlético seals the win

Following a second half in which the home team attempted to get closer on the scoreboard, Simeone's changes once again proved fruitful with Ángel Correa's goal in the final minutes of the match.