14 May 2007, by Sean Gillen

Maniche shines as Atletico hit form

Getafe 1-4 Atletico Madrid

Maniche scored one and set up two as Atletico Madrid ended a three-match winless run with an emphatic victory over city rivals Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Sunday.

Los Rojiblancos snapped out of some woeful recent form with a calm and assured display, to open up a four-point gap in sixth place, putting themselves firmly in position for a Uefa Cup place.

Fresh from hammering Barcelona to qualify for the Copa Del Rey final Getafe took to the pitch in confident mood, but the home crowd were silenced after just two minutes when Atletico captain Fernando Torres raced onto a long ball from Maniche to calmly beat Pato.

Maniche doubled his side’s advantage on 18 minutes, scoring his second goal against Getafe this season. The former Porto man embarked on a typical run into opposition territory, and Petrov found the Portuguese with a swift crossfield pass for Maniche to smash in the second.

Having controlled the first half, Atletico were forced back a little more after the break, and Getafe pulled a goal back just before the hour mark when Manu del Moral reacted quickest to a lose ball inside the penalty area following a corner.

Maniche assist

However, Torres restored his side’s two-goal advantage just five minutes later, and it was the same combination that provided the first goal. Maniche slid the ball through the right-hand channel, and Torres’ pace took him away from the Getafe defenders, with the 22-year-old rounding Pato and slotting the ball into the net.

Martin Galletti put the seal on a memorable win in the 87th minute when Atletico were awarded a penalty for handball, and the Argentine sent Pato the wrong way when side-footing into the top corner.

After the match, Torres told reporters: “It was a good match for the whole team. We were able to go up 0-1 early and my team-mates also played a good game…Maniche, Martin Petrov…with the goal they set up we didn’t settle for just the two and we kept looking for the third.”

Meanwhile, manager Javier Aguirre was keen to ensure that the team continue to concentrate on securing European football for next season. “I still think that we need two victories to ensure the UEFA Cup because in previous years 60 points would get you into Europe,” he said.

Getafe:
Pato; Contra, Belenguer, Tena, Paredes; Redondo (Pachón, 75), Celestini, Casquero, Nacho (Vivar Dorado, 46, replaced by Albin, 67); Güiza, Manu
Yellow Cards: Contra (24), Redondo (43), Tena (51), Belenguer (79)

Atletico Madrid:
Pichu; Seitaridis, Eller, Ze Castro, Antonio López; Galletti, Luccin (Costinha, 65), Maniche, Petrov; Jurado (Kun Agüero, 67), Torres (Maxi, 81)
Yellow Cards: Lopez (28), Seitaridis (42), Petrov (49), Galletti (68), Costinha (70), Pichu (74)

Goals:
[0-1] Torres, 2
[0-2] Maniche, 18
[1-2] del Moral, 59
[1-3] Torres, 64
[1-4] Galletti, 87 (pen)