First-half goals from Jackson Martinez and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco have given hosts Atletico Madrid a 2-0 half-time lead over Valencia in La Liga this evening.
The game started at a quick speed and Valencia almost took the lead after four minutes when Rodrigo sent a flick-on to Shkodran Mustafi, but he could not produce the finish under pressure from Diego Godin.
Atletico sought to hit back through playmaker Koke, who broke forward at pace before firing a strong effort towards the Valencia goal, where Jaume Domenech pulled off a standout save.
The hosts built themselves up into a good rhythm after the half-hour mark and they were able to find a lead through Martinez, as the striker capitalised on some poor defending from the away centre-backs to slot coolly beyond Domenech.
Antoine Griezmann aimed to push the home side into a two-goal advantage when his cross picked out Jackson, who saw his shot kept out by a busy Valencia stopper.
Atletico mounted increasing pressure on the visitors and they almost found themselves 2-0 to the good, only for Domenech to make another strong save to deny a thumping header from Godin.
The intensity finally told just before the interval, though, when Ferreira Carrasco capped off an exciting run with a low finish into the bottom corner to leave Madrid in the driving seat.
Christopher Dodd
