Atlético Madrid finally broke its streak of poor results away from home and earned its first away victory of this La Liga season. The 2–0 win at Real Betis brought not only three valuable points but also a second consecutive clean sheet, signaling clear improvement for Diego Simeone’s team.
After a slow start to the season, when Atlético won only one of its first five matches, the team has recovered and now has four victories from the last five league games. As a result, the Rojiblancos have moved up to fourth place in the standings, just one point behind third-place Villarreal. They trail Barcelona by three points and league leader Real Madrid by eight.
The victory in Seville also carried psychological importance. A defeat could have dropped Atlético to sixth place and allowed Betis to overtake them. Instead, the team showed character and greater efficiency in finishing chances, an area that had been problematic in previous away matches.
Atlético’s defense finally looked compact again. José María Giménez played a key role after returning from injury, bringing stability and calm to the back line. His presence also benefited teammates Robin Le Normand and Dávid Hancko, who appeared far more confident.
Coach Simeone surprised with his tactical setup. For the first time in a long while, he started with a single striker, Julián Álvarez, while other attacking players remained on the bench. The 3-4-3 formation allowed better control of midfield even though the team occasionally lost compactness when transitioning into defense. Betis did not take advantage of these moments.
Álvarez confirmed his good form and remains a key figure in attack. Other forwards such as Griezmann and Sørloth are still searching for consistency. In contrast, Atlético’s midfield continues to impress with high quality. Thiago Almada, Nicolás González and young Baena have been among the best performers in recent weeks, giving the coach more flexibility to adjust both system and tempo.
This victory is an encouragement for Atlético and proof that the team can respond to criticism. If it maintains current form in upcoming away fixtures, it could rejoin the title race. Simeone’s tactical experiments are starting to pay off and team morale has clearly improved.
