(Reuters) – Struggling LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid recovered from their shock mid-week defeat by basement club Levante with a comprehensive 3-0 thrashing of Osasuna on Saturday.
Strikers Joao Felix, Luis Suarez and Angel Correa were on target to lift Diego Simeone’s side to fourth spot with 42 points from 25 games. They are 12 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid and three ahead of Barcelona, who will have a game in hand following their match against Bilbao on Sunday.
The goal would have come as a huge relief to Portugal international Felix as he has been struggling to gain Simeone’s trust and was making only his third start in Atletico’s last 15 league matches.
Atletico’s 126-million-euro ($143 million) forward rifled in a rebound from a corner in the third minute and after the break assisted Suarez, who scored the second when he lobbed rival goalkeeper Sergio Herrera from 40 yards.
Correa completed the rout with a lightning fast last-minute counter attack.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
