Atletico Madrid 3-1 Rayo Vallecano as it happened

1. Griezmann double helps Atletico to victory
2. Late Bale penalty keeps Real Madrid top
3. Second-placed Barcelona win at Elche

That's all folks

That is your lot for tonight. Be sure to read the reports of the Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid wins on this very website as well as looking out for future reports on the Lazio v AC Milan game (which is into the second half and is now 2-1 to the home side after two goals in four minutes from Marco Parolo and Miroslav Klose) and on David Moyes' Real Sociedad v Eibar.

We'll be back again tomorrow with more European football, including Fiorentina v Roma (7:45pm), Valencia v Sevilla (8pm) and St Etienne v PSG (8pm). I'll see thee.

Ronaldo apologises for red card

Getty Images

Earlier today, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off during Real Madrid's 2-1 win at Cordoba for kicking out at Edimar. He didn't look very sorry when he left the pitch stroking the Fifa badge on his shirt, but he has since apologised via Twitter. He wrote: "Pido disculpas a todos y especialmente a Edimar por mi acto irreflexivo en el partido de hoy", which I can assure English speakers is an apology.

Reuters

It is a win each for the top three in La Liga and the gaps between them remain the same. Real Madrid top the table with 48 points, one ahead of second-placed Barcelona and four in front of Atletico in third.

FULL-TIME

In the end it was more comfortable than predicted at half-time. Atletico's superiority came to the fore in the second half and after Manucho's own goal had restored the two-goal home advantage, Diego Simeone's side refused to give the away side a way back in.

Fernando Torres is given a superb chance to get the first La Liga goal of his second Atletico spell. Antoine Griezmann is very unselfish (especially in the circumstances) to give Torres possession when he could have gone himself, but the striker takes a touch too many and allows Tono to come out and block.

Ze castro unleashes a shot from 35 yards for Rayo, more in hope that belief. It is every inch a defenders shot, including all the ones by which it cleared the goal. High, wide and ugly. There are going be three added minutes. Just three more for Rayo to suffer.

HITS THE WOODWORK

The one player on the pitch who really does still have the bit between his teeth is Antoine Griezmann, who is hunting a hat-trick. He comes within an inch of getting it as well by charging into the Rayo half and past a challenge before driving a low shot against the post. It was great play and deserved more.

Fernando Torres has not been in the game much since coming on but he looks to play a one-two with Raul Garcia on the edge of the box and is denied an opening on goal by the latter's heavy contribution to the move. Nice thought, poor execution.

SUBSTITUTION

Rayo's second substitution. Gael Kakuta departs and Alex Moreno comes on, not that it will make much difference to this game now. Atletico are in complete control.

It is half-time in Rome, where home side Lazio are trailing 1-0 to AC Milan. Jeremy Menez scored the goal in the fourth minute.

SUBSTITUTION

Another Atletico substitution sees Raul Garcia come on for Arda Turan.

Oh, there was your chance Rayo. Substitute Alberto Bueno is in acres of space in the box and has the chance to turn and fire a shot on goal but he fails to make any proper contact and the ball dribbles hopelessly wide. That could have made the last 12 minutes very interesting. Instead, it looks like we'll be watching Atletico ease to victory.

Manucho has a chance to make amends for his own goal as Rayo break and the ball is fed to him 30 yards out. But his shot is lazy and rises way over the goal. The visitors have given up on this.

Rayo look like a beaten team now, even though there are 16 minutes to go. Gael Kakuta looks to break away but he is closed down and robbed of possession by two Atletico players. There weren't many Rayo players in support, desperate to be given the ball.

SUBSTITUTION

Beanie-sporting Rayo coach Paco Jemez makes a change of his own as Alberto Bueno (who had a loan spell with Derby County in the 2010/11 season) comes on for Mohammed Fatau.

SUBSTITUTION

Off goes Mario Mandzukic and on comes local hero Torres, who is seeking his first La Liga goal in his second spell at Atletico.

The Atletico fans have found their voice again. They sense that this game is won already and are going to enjoy the last 20-odd minutes with a few tunes. Diego Simeone is going to make a change. And it is going to be a popular one. Fernando Torres is stripped and ready for action.

We've got about 25 minutes left at the Vicente Calderon. If Rayo are going to get anything from this game they need something to happen very soon. But at the moment, Atletico are firmly in control. Diego Simeone may be considering some changes right now, with Barcelona to come on Wednesday.

And it is almost 4-1 to Atletico as Antoine Griezmann finds a yard in the box but drives his shot a yard past the far post. So, so close to a hat-trick for the France international.

GOAL

Atletico's pressure pays off as the corner resulting from Ze Castro's block is swung into the six-yard box, where it deflects off the midriff of away striker Manucho and into the goal. It is yet another Rayo error and again it results in a Atletico goal. Rayo have come back to gain a foothold once in this game. They'll have to dig even deeper to do so again.

Atletico are on the front foot here. A cross is swung from the right to the back post and met by Mario Mandzukic, but Ze Castro does superbly to block the resulting header.

LINE-UPS

Here are the teams for the Real Sociedad v Eibar game. We won't be covering this but we will bring you a report later.

Real Sociedad starting XI: Rulli, Mikel, Inigo, Granero, Agirretxe, Xabi Prieto, Vela, Ruben Pardo, Canales, Yuri, A. Elustondo.

Eibar starting XI: Irureta, Boveda, Anibarro, Capa, Errasti, Arruabarrena, Dani Garcia, Lillo, Manu, Saul Berjon, Abraham.

Atletico are enjoying a good spell at the start of this half. Juanfran drives a cross in from the right and Antoine Griezmann is close to connecting before Tono's punch clears the ball.

Antoine Griezmann senses a hat-trick here. He almost gets one as well, but not in the way he imagined. The Atletico player lines up a cross from the left but slices the ball and sends it towards the bottom corner of the goal, forcing Tono to dive low and tip it away.

Right from the kick-off, Gael Kakuta drives at the Atletico defence, beats a couple of men before being tackled and dispossessed by a third. Hopefully that is a sign of how positive Rayo are going to be this half.

KICK-OFF

We are back under way at the Vicente Calderon. Atletico lead but this game could still go either way. A big 45 minutes awaits...

Join the debate at #bbceurofooty

Remember, you can get in touch with us via Twitter and text. If tweeting is your thing just use the hashtag #bbceurofooty. Or if you'd rather lob us a text, use the number 81111 (UK only).

We have a goal at the Stadio Olimpico already and it has gone to the visitors, who have taken the lead through Jeremy Menez's goal.

The Serie A game at the Stadio Olimpico is under way (and about five minutes old), with fifth-placed Lazio hosting eight-placed AC Milan. I'll endeavour to bring you score updates from that throughout the evening.

HALF-TIME

For a long period of that first 45 minutes, Atletico were in complete control thanks to Rayo's generosity and Antoine Griezmann's clinical finishing. But Roberto Trashorras has given Rayo a foothold and there is life in this game yet.

Rayo really fancy this now. Gael Kakuta fires in a free-kick from the right, which Mario Manuzukic is forced to slide in and put behind. The same Rayo player is then given possession from the corner on the left and swings a harmless ball out for a goal-kick. It is a couple of minutes that were far less comfortable for Atletico than they would like. The home crowd are not as loud as they were 10 minutes ago.

Suddenly Rayo look much hungrier and sharper. Gael Kakuta wins a corner, which goalscorer Roberto Trashorras takes and floats straight into the hands of home keeper Moya. Manucho wasn't far from getting his head to the ball, though.

GOAL

Hold your horses, what's this! Rayo are suddenly back in this game as Roberto Trashorras unleashes a curling shot from range that lands just inside the bottom right corner of the home net. Game on.

This is a perfect scenario for Atletico, baring in mind the fixture to come next week. They face Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Ray on Wednesday. The control they have here could give them chance later to take their foot off the gas and save something back to try and overhaul Barca's 1-0 aggregate lead.

The Atletico fans are making a right racket and they have every right to. Their team is in complete control here courtesy of Antoine Griezmann's double. The home side shift Rayo from right to left before winning a corner, which Jose Gimenez heads towards goal for Tono to gather.

Atletico's Mario Suarez is down in his box. He doesn't look happy but a bit of treatment on the touchline eases his suffering. Looks like he may have taken a bit of a dig in the leg from a Rayo man. He'll be fine to continue, though.

GOAL

AFP

How Manucho is going to regret that miss now. Atletico and Antoine Griezmann strike again. Mario Mandzukic's header flicks the ball on and, with the away defence frozen stiff, Griezmann runs clear to slot past Tono for the second time. It was way too easy for the home side. Rayo have a mountain to climb now.

Back in Spain and Rayo are looking to gain a foothold in the match at the Vicente Calderon. Manucho comes very close as he rises at the near post to meet a cross but plants his header over the goal. Home keeper Moya came out to try and punch but didn't get anywhere near it. The Rayo striker should have scored.

Eto'o to Italy

News from Italy: Sampdoria have signed Cameroon striker Samiel Eto'o from Everton. The 33-year-old is expected to be presented before the Genoa-based club's fans ahead of their Serie A match at home to Palermo tomorrow.

Atletico are well up for this. They are hunting in packs in midfield to close down Rayo and prevent them any time to play. The away side are going to have to dig in.

This could get very uncomfortable very quickly for Rayo. Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic link up well to force a corner, which is swung in and nodded towards the near post by Tiago, with Tono forced to dive low and punch away.

GOAL

AFP

Third time unlucky for Rayo. The away side's third error of the night costs them as Ze Castro's attempted pass into midfield is cut out by Antoine Griezmann, who is then able to run on goal and finish well past Tono for his 12th goal of the season.

I think maybe we've just the reason why Rayo keeper Tono wants to distribute the ball short to his defence. His first goal kick sails way out of play on the left, gifting possession back to the home side.

The first real Rayo shot of the match comes from Gael Kakuta, who gathers possession after a free-kick is half-cleared but cannot catch his shot cleanly making the save easy for home keeper Moya.

Rayo really are in a generous mood. Keeper Tono tries to take a quick kick to his full-back, who is closed down and has the ball nicked off him by Arda Turan. The Turkish player cannot find Mario Mandzukic in the box with his low cross, though, and Rayo clear. All that was lacking from that pass was a bow and a tag saying "For Atletico, love Rayo".

If Rayo want to lose this game then defending like they just have is a good way to go about it. A free-kick is swung in and met by Mario Manszukic, who is totally unmarked. Luckily for the away side, the home striker glances his header wide.

Rayo have an initial dart forward but they are unable to fashion anything from it with the ball going out for a goal-kick.

KICK-OFF

And we are under way, with the away side kicking off. Game on.

The teams are out at the Vicente Calderon. Kick-off is moments away...

RAYO VALLECANO LINE-UP

And this is the team Rayo hope will help them avoid a repeat of last season's game at Atletico, in which they were blitzed 5-0...

Rayo Vallecano starting XI: Tono, Ze, Abdoulaye, Morcillo, Fatau, Baena, Jozabed, Trashorras, Aquino, Kakuta, Manucho.

There a few familiar names to Premier League fans in the Rayo starting line-up, including Gael Kakuta, who is on loan from Chelsea, and Manucho, formerly of Manchester United and Hull.

ATLETICO MADRID LINE-UP

And here are the 11 men Atletico have tasked with getting them victory tonight...

Atletico Madrid starting XI: Moya, Juanfran, Miranda, Gimenez, Siqueira, Mario Suarez, Tiago, Gabi, Arda, Griezmann, Mandzukic.

As you can see, there's no starting spot for Fernando Torres. The former Liverpool and Chelsea striker is on the bench.

Atleti in fine fettle

EPA

It has been a good week for Atletico off the field, with the club announcing that Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin will be buying a 20% stake for €45m (£34m) and coveted coach Diego Simeone hinting that his long-term future lies at the Vicente Calderon. All they need now is to finish the week on a good note on the pitch.

Join the debate at #bbceurofooty

As always, you can get in touch with us via Twitter and text. If tweeting is your thing just use the hashtag #bbceurofooty. Or if you'd rather lob us a text, use the number 81111 (UK only).

Barca bouncing

Getty Images

Did I say Barcelona were easing to victory earlier? Storming seems more apt. The final whistle has just gone in the game at Elche, soon after Neymar completed his hat-trick. The final score? Just a humble 6-0!

Los Rojiblancos in the spotlight

Reuters

In just over 10 minutes time, Atletico Madrid will kick-off against Rayo Vallecano in the the first of the games we'll be covering via the medium of live text. As it stands, Diego Simeone's men trail leaders Real Madrid by seven points and are three behind second-placed Barca. The pressure is on... how will Los Rojiblancos respond?

La Liga race rumbles on

Reuters

Leaders Real Madrid sneaked a win by the skin of their teeth, second-placed Barcelona are easing to victory at Elche. Now we turn our attention to the reigning champions...