Atletico Madrid remembered how to win away again when Radamel Falcao opened the scoring in a 3-0 victory at Real Valladolid that cut the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona back to 12 points on Sunday.
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Diego Simeone's side last won on the road in mid- November, when they defeated Granada 1-0, but after consecutive defeats in La Liga and the Europa League they rediscovered their bite to turn over their hosts.
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Colombia striker Falcao pounced on a loose ball to score after Diego Godin's volley at a free kick was only parried in the 11th minute. It was his 20th league goal of the season.
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Atletico's recent wobble looked to be behind them as they were first to everything and Brazilian striker Diego Costa doubled the lead in the 53rd minute after latching on to a cushioned header from midfielder Koke.
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Uruguay winger Cristian Rodriguez grabbed a third at the end when he sneaked in to profit from a poor pass back to the goalkeeper.
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Barca's 2-1 comeback win in Granada on Saturday, when Lionel Messi scored twice, put them on 65 points from 24 games, Atletico are second with 53 and Real Madrid third with 46.
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The champions host city rivals Rayo Vallecano in the late game.