Atletico Madrid enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win at Elche yesterday.
Nineteen-year old defender Jose Maria Gimenez scored an impressive first goal for Atletico to put the visitors in front after 16 minutes, and Mario Mandzukic then doubled the advantage early in the second half.
This was far from a vintage performance from the champions, who managed just four shots on goal over the 90 minutes at the Estadio Martinez Valero.
However, they did not have to deal with many threats from an Elche side who have now failed to win any of their last five competitive games.
Atleti coach Diego Simeone said: "The team played very well, they were very professional and got into the match well. They understood where they could do damage and the set-pieces were well organized. In the second half we were very consistent.
"It looks simple when the game is over, but until then it wasn't as easy as all that."
