Atletico Madrid crush Rayo Vallecano to secure second place in La Liga

The remarkable second-half display saw four goals in just 13 minutes, propelling Atletico to the second spot on the La Liga table, a mere two points adrift of Real Madrid, the leaders.

Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay, and Nahuel Molina set the tone for Atletico's dominance, securing a 3-0 lead within the opening 36 minutes.

Alvaro Morata then dazzled with a brace, alongside strikes from Angel Correa and Marcos Llorente, ruthlessly dismantling Rayo's defence.

Reflecting on the triumph, Griezmann affirmed to Movistar, "We had a great game from the start, with a lot of intensity. They're three important points, and I'm very happy with the team's work today."

Rayo Vallecano's Oscar Valentin conceded, "They were superior in every aspect. We are not this poor - we must persevere and put today behind us."

In a separate fixture, a late 84th-minute penalty from Borja Mayoral clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win for Getafe against Alaves.

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