Félix returns from injury with a goal as Atlético goes 3rd

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Substitute João Félix returned from injury and scored his first goal in more than two months to help Atlético Madrid get back in the fight for a Champions League berth on Sunday.

Atlético’s 3-1 comeback win over Villarreal lifted the team into third place in the Spanish league. The top four play in Europe’s top club competition next season.

Atlético is level on points with fourth-place Sevilla, which leapfrogged Getafe by dealing the season’s surprise team a stinging 3-0 home defeat.

Félix had missed four matches while recovering from a right-leg muscle injury.

He went on in the 57th with Atlético leading 2-1. Felix put the result beyond doubt with a powerful left-footed strike in the 74th, after Atlético’s pressure recovered the ball near the area.

The positive performance by Félix comes with Atlético flying high after it beat Liverpool 1-0 in their opening leg in the Champions League’s round of 16 on Tuesday.

“The victory against Liverpool has given us a lot of confidence to take on what is left in store this season,” goalscorer Ángel Correa said.

Félix joined the Spanish team from Benfica in the summer on a club record transfer of 126 million euros (then $143 million). But after a promising start, the 20-year-old Felix had struggled to make his presence felt in attack.

The goal was Félix’s fifth of the season and his first since scoring in a 2-0 win over Lokomotiv in the Champions League in December.

Paco Alcácer opened for Villarreal in the 16th. Correa leveled in the 40th before he assisted Jorge “Koke” Resurrección to head the hosts in front in the 64th.

Atlético defender Kieran Trippier also returned from injury as a second-half substitute.

Atlético and Sevilla are 12 points behind leader Barcelona, which is two points ahead of Real Madrid before the title rivals meet next weekend.

Atlético manager Diego Simeone watched the match from a stadium box at the Wanda Metropolitano as he served a one-game suspension for accumulation of yellow cards for protesting.

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