Sevilla strengthened their bid for LaLiga survival with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a youthful Atletico Madrid side at Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, bringing an end to a three-game losing streak in the league.

With his focus firmly on the upcoming Champions League clash against Barcelona, Diego Simeone opted to field the youngest LaLiga starting XI of his tenure, averaging just 23 years and 289 days, and handed three players their debuts.

However, the gamble backfired early on. One of the debutants, Dani Martinez, conceded a penalty inside the opening 10 minutes after bringing down Isaac Romero in the box, with the decision confirmed following a lengthy VAR review.

Akor Adams stepped up and confidently converted from the spot, netting the first goal of Luis Garcia Plaza’s reign, despite Juan Musso getting a firm hand to the effort.

This was clearly a more important contest for the relegation-threatened hosts, and Sevilla played with a level of confidence that reflected the stakes.

However, they soon experienced a familiar setback when Atletico Madrid restored parity in the 35th minute. Debutant Javier Bonar made an immediate impact, rising to meet a cross from Julio Diaz and guiding a fine header in at the far post.

It was a proud moment for the 20-year-old on his senior debut, but Atleti’s joy did not last long. Sevilla captain Nemanja Gudelj quickly restored the lead, heading home from a Ruben Vargas corner just before half-time.

Sevilla came agonisingly close to extending their advantage shortly after the hour mark when Lucien Agoume picked out Isaac Romero in space, but his left-footed effort struck the post.

That proved to be the only real moment of excitement in an otherwise subdued second half, which lacked the intensity of the opening period. Still, the result lifted Sevilla out of the bottom three into 15th place, ending a run of three straight defeats in head-to-head meetings.

As for Diego Simeone, the defeat is unlikely to cause major concern despite it being Atleti’s fifth loss in nine league matches. Even if Real Betis beat Osasuna, Atleti would still hold a nine-point cushion inside the top four, with attention now turning to the visit of Barcelona at the Metropolitano.