Osasuna beats Atlético de Madrid in Laliga and is close to the Europa League
2-0 win puts team in contention for Conference League spot after 17 years away from European competition
In a night of surprises at the El Sadar Stadium , Osasuna beat Atlético de Madrid 2-0 this Thursday ( 16 ) , in the 36th round of LaLiga , and took an important step towards qualifying for European competitions
With headed goals from Alejandro Catena , 25 minutes into the first half, and top scorer Ante Budimir , 37 minutes into the second half , the Pamplona team reached 48 points , equaling Rayo Vallecano , in eighth place — a position that gives them a place in the Conference League qualifiers .
The result also marks a possible historic comeback : the club has not played in a European tournament since 2007 , when they were semi – finalists in the former UEFA Cup ( now the Europa League ). Last season , Osasuna reached the Conference playoffs but lost to Club Brugge 4-3 on aggregate .
On the other side , Atlético , who have already secured a place in the Champions League and are out of the running for the title , remain in third place with 70 points . Diego Simeone ‘s team , who were coming off a 4-0 win over Real Sociedad with a show by Alexander Sorloth , had a lackluster performance and were dominated by the tactical discipline of the home team .
In the final rounds , Osasuna face Espanyol ( 16th ) at home and then visit Deportivo Alavés ( 17th ) . Atlético end their campaign against Real Betis and Girona .
