Stojinović’s late goal gives Atlético room to breathe

Atlético Madrid’s lead in Spain is beginning to acquire the weight of something more serious than good form. Their 1–0 victory over Ponferrada was secured by Milan Stojinović in the 88th minute, a late goal in a match whose table context made patience as important as ambition.

Ponferrada arrived as the nearest challengers. They left ten points behind Atlético after 22 matches. The margin is not decisive in January, but it changes the psychology of the race. Atlético now have 55 points; Ponferrada have 45, Valencia 43 and Real Madrid 42. The leaders are no longer being followed by one clear pursuer. They are watching a cluster attempt to organise itself beneath them.

That is why Stojinović’s goal mattered beyond the three points. A draw would have preserved Ponferrada’s proximity and rewarded their resistance. The late winner instead transformed a narrow contest into a direct assertion of hierarchy. Atlético did not overwhelm their closest rivals. They outlasted them.

Real Madrid’s 2–2 draw with Mallorca deepened the contrast. Ronaldinho scored early and Jorge Baños equalised late, but Madrid again required recovery rather than control. Valencia’s 2–0 win at Zaragoza moved them above Madrid, while Barcelona’s 1–0 victory over Alavés was useful without materially changing the title picture.

Ponferrada remain one of the season’s great stories. Their second place is supported by 45 points and a positive goal difference, not novelty. Yet a challenger eventually has to turn proximity into pressure. Atlético’s late goal denied them that chance and placed a ten-point silence between first and second.

The leaders’ advantage has been built on more than attacking abundance. They have scored fewer goals than the most explosive sides in some other leagues, but their goal difference of plus 25 and their ability to decide tight matches suggest a team comfortable with the burden of being expected to win. That quality becomes increasingly valuable as a season narrows.

Atlético have not won La Liga in January. What they have done is make the rest of Spain dependent on two events: their own near-perfection and an Atlético decline. Stojinović’s 88th-minute intervention was the latest reason to doubt the second will arrive easily.