Isaac Romero's first-half strike earned Sevilla a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday, with the visitors missing the chance to reclaim third place in LaLiga.
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Diego Simeone's side remain on 48 points, two behind Barcelona, who host Granada later in the day. Real Madrid top the standings with 61 points, five ahead of second-placed Girona.
"I'm proud of the way the team played, the second half was extraordinary," Simeone told a news conference. "There were chances to score but we couldn't, we have to be patient and keep working hard."
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Sevilla took the lead in the 15th minute as Romero seized on some poor defending to head home from a corner flicked on by Lucas Ocampos.
Atletico, who lost striker Alvaro Morata to injury at halftime, dominated possession throughout the match but could not breakthrough a solid home backline as they fell to their sixth league defeat of the season.
The win moved Sevilla up to 15th with 23 points, six clear of the relegation zone.
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"We started the game badly. It's a story that repeats itself a lot, we have to improve and change our mindset," Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak told DAZN.
"They played very well, they did everything they could to win because they needed to. They're at the bottom, it's not what their squad reflects.
"We've lost too many away games. It can't happen if you want to fight for the league. We have to be honest. We're a long way off."