Before kick-off, losing FIFA World Cup finalist Antoine Griezmann and winners Rodrigo de Paul, Nahuel Molina, and Angel Correa were paraded on the pitch at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Up until 10 minutes before the halftime whistle, that was arguably the most memorable moment of the evening as Atletico struggled to break their opponents down.
Yannick Carrasco’s effort was saved by Edgar Badia, while Alvaro Morata and Joao Felix shot narrowly wide, but it was Elche’s Gonzalo Verdu who gave the hosts their biggest boost when he hauled down Morata just outside the area as the Spaniard bore down on goal and was sent off.
Despite the dismissal, Atleti were unable to make their numerical superiority pay prior to the interval, but it seemed it would only be a matter of time before they moved ahead against a side which Diego Simeone had previously never lost to as a manager.
Defender Mario Hermoso, however, had other ideas, picking up two yellow cards in the space of three second-half minutes to restore parity in numbers with more than a third of the game left.
Ultimately, that setback didn’t affect Atletico, who took the lead less than 180 seconds later when Felix headed home Griezmann’s first-time chipped cross. Felix, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the Spanish capital in recent weeks, appeared eager to prove a point and forced Badia to parry his low drive shortly after the opener.
Elche were not without threat, and they would have had an equaliser had Pere Milla directed his header on target rather than beyond the post. That squandered opportunity proved pivotal, though, as Atleti doubled their lead almost immediately.
While Morata’s fine dribbling work down the left flank was worthy of a goal, he was awfully lucky that his shot was deflected high into the air before dropping just under the bar and over the line.
Substitute Domingos Quina was sent off late on for two yellow cards in the space of four minutes as Simeone and co. move up to third in the LaLiga table, albeit having played a game more than third-placed Real Sociedad.
Meanwhile, Elche continue to prop up the division and, with no victories and just four points from their first 15 matches, relegation to the second tier looks inevitable.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
