VALENCIA (Interstat) — Iker Luque and Miguel Cubo scored second-half goals off the bench Saturday to lift Club Atlético de Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Valencia at Estadio de Mestalla in a La Liga match that defied pregame projections.

Luque broke a scoreless deadlock in the 74th minute, finishing a setup from defender César Tárrega. Cubo doubled the lead eight minutes later with an assist from fellow substitute Rodrigo Mendoza. Both goal-scorers entered the match as substitutes, energizing an Atlético side that had struggled for consistency this season.

The win improved Atlético’s La Liga record to 4 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws. Across all competitions, the club now stands at 7 wins, 6 losses and 3 draws. Valencia dropped to 9 wins, 15 losses and 5 draws in league play and 13 wins, 15 losses and 6 draws overall.

The match featured four yellow cards. Thiago Almada was booked in the 29th minute, followed by Mendoza in the 52nd, Obed Vargas in the 61st and Tárrega in the 67th. All cautions occurred before the opening goal as the game remained tense but largely devoid of clear chances until the final quarter-hour.

Valencia entered the contest in poor form, having lost five of its previous seven league matches. The most recent was a 1-1 draw at Mallorca on April 21. Before that, Valencia fell 1-0 at Elche on April 11, dropped a 3-2 decision at home to Celta Vigo on April 5, but had recorded a 2-0 win at Sevilla on March 21. That victory was followed by a 1-0 loss at Real Oviedo on March 14. Valencia also lost 2-1 at Villarreal on Feb. 22 and 2-0 at home to Real Madrid on Feb. 8, but managed a 3-2 win at Deportivo Alaves on March 8 and a 1-0 win over Osasuna on March 1.

Atlético Madrid entered Saturday’s match looking to rebound from a 3-2 loss at Elche on April 22. That defeat followed a 2-2 draw at Real Sociedad on April 18 and a 2-1 loss at home to Barcelona on April 4. Atlético had also lost 3-2 at Real Madrid on March 22 and 3-0 at Rayo Vallecano on Feb. 15. However, the club showed flashes of quality with a 4-0 win over Barcelona on Feb. 12, a 3-0 win at Mallorca on Jan. 25 and a 1-0 win at Getafe on March 14.

The victory at Mestalla was particularly noteworthy given pregame expectations. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Valencia 1, Atlético Madrid 1, while Interstat’s ELO system gave Valencia an 89.20 percent probability to win.

Valencia will next travel to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, May 10, then host Rayo Vallecano on Thursday, May 14. Atlético Madrid returns home to face Celta Vigo on Saturday, May 9, before visiting Osasuna on Tuesday, May 12. Both clubs are seeking to climb the La Liga standings as the season enters its final weeks.