Sevilla's title hopes all but over after defeat at Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid gave their hopes of finishing third in La Liga a shot in the arm by beating Sevilla 3-1, with Antoine Griezmann in particularly sparkling form.

Diego Simeone’s side closed the gap on the visiting Andalusians to just two points with a comprehensive performance, meaning Atleti have now lost just one of their last 11 fixtures in all competitions. On the flip side, the result all but ended Sevilla's title challenge.

Diego Godin opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half, heading home a Griezmann free kick from six yards out. Griezmann himself doubled Atletico’s advantage with a stunning freekick strike just after the hour mark, finding the net from the edge of the box via the underside of the crossbar.

Koke added a third, before Joaquin Correa reduced the deficit for Sevilla. It was too little too late, though, as Atletico Madrid claimed a 3-1 win from a season defining match. The race for third place will go down to the wire.

March has been a disastrous month for Sevilla. They have now gone four games without a win, dropping out of both the Spanish title race and the Champions League. Jorge Sampaoli’s side look short of energy and drive, and so they must use the international break to regroup. They mustn’t let what has been an extremely successful season fade away.

Everything Atletico Madrid did well flowed through Griezmann. The Frenchman is in the form of his life at the moment, scoring five goals in his last five goals, with this performance underlining why he is considered one of the best players in the world. Sevilla couldn't handle him as he drifted across the frontline. Griezmann is the player that defines this Atletico Madrid team. He is their difference maker.

Atletico Madrid - Oblak 6, Godin 7, Luis 7, Savic 5, Vrsaljko 1, Koke 7, Saul 6, Carrasco 7, Gabi 6, Griezmann 9, Gameiro. Subs - Gaitan 5, Torres 6, Juanfran 7.

Sevilla - Rico 7, Mariano 6, Mercado 5, Rami 6, Lenglet 5, Escudero 5, N’Zonzi 5, Nasri 4, Vitolo 5, Sarabia 6, Yedder 5. Subs - Iborra 5, Correa 6, Jovetic 5.

15’ OFF THE CROSSBAR! That's the closest we have come to an opener! Carrasco frees Gameiro in behind the defence, but the French striker's chip over Rico comes off the bar.

34’ SEVILLA PENALTY CLAIM! Yedder goes down inside the area under the challenge from Oblak, but the referee shakes his head. He was off his line, but replays show there was no contact.

37’ GOAL! Atletico Madrid 1-0 Sevilla: Atletico Madrid have taken the lead! Terrible marking from Sevilla allowed Godin to ghost into the penalty area, getting on the end of a Griezmann freekick to head past Rico. 1-0 to the home side.

61’ GOAL! Atletico Madrid 2-0 Sevilla: What a stunning strike! That's a goal of the season contender! Rico stood no chance of reaching it. Griezmann smashes a freekick in off the underside of the crossbar!

77’ GOAL! Atletico Madrid 3-0 Sevilla: And that will be that. The points are safe for Atletico Madrid, with Koke scoring their third of the game. The midfielder arrived 10 yards out to stick home a finish from the centre of the penalty area.

85’ GOAL! Atletico Madrid 3-1 Sevilla: Sevilla have clawed a goal back, but it won't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Correa got the better of Savic, surging past the defender to find the far corner of the net with a cool finish.

Excluding penalty kicks, only Luis Suarez has scored more goals than Antoine Griezmann in 2017 (in all competitions).

Griezmann has made 11 assists this season, more than he did in his two previous seasons for Atletico Madrid combined.

Diego Simeone has lost just one of his 13 games against Sevilla in La Liga.