BARCELONA, Spain -- Atletico Madrid needed a second-half goal from midfielder Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion to eke out a 1-0 win at Malaga on Saturday, becoming the overnight leader of the Spanish league as it resumed following the winter break. Atletico built a provisional three-point advantage over Barcelona before the defending champion hosts Elche on Sunday. Barcelona then visits Atletico in the following round. "We will have to wait and see if Barcelona wins tomorrow to stay leader, as it is accustomed to doing," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Also, Valencias new manager, Juan Antonio Pizzi, debuted with a 2-0 victory at home over crosstown rival Levante. Almeria routed visiting Granada 3-0 to climb four points clear of the relegation zone, and Real Betis remained bottom of the table after a drab 0-0 draw at Valladolid. Atletico dominated possession but was held in check by Malagas five-man defence until Simeone sent on forwards Adrian Lopez and Cristian Rodriguez to join Diego Costa and David Villa up front for the final half hour. Diego Costa failed to add to his league-leading 19 goals, but the striker turned playmaker to unlock the hosts stingy defence in the 70th. Diego Costa slipped the ball to Adrian, whose rebound off goalkeeper Willy Caballero fell for Koke arriving late to rifle through the crowded area and into the back of the net to claim the winner. "They played a great game in defence but eventually we earned the victory with my goal. That is important for us to take three points back home," Koke said. "The team believes in what it is doing." Atletico moved eight points clear of third-place Real Madrid before it hosts Celta Vigo on Monday. Atletico continued to base its title challenge on Spains best defence, which again left its opponent without a clear scoring opportunity. It has conceded a competition-low 11 goals through 18 games. The loss was the first in four rounds for Bernd Schusters Malaga, leaving it in the middle of the standings. Schuster defended his strategy of trying to stop Atletico by playing with three central defenders, which arguably hurt its efforts in attack. "If somebody believes they can play Atletico as equals with what we have, then go ahead, Ill pay them to do it," Schuster said. "They are better than we are and didnt need a great game to beat us." Pizzi replaced the fired Miroslav Djukic over the two-week league break, and Valencia responded with a convincing win in the city derby against Levante at its Mestalla Stadium. After Pablo Piatti drilled in a clearance to put Valencia in front three minutes before halftime, forward Sofiane Feghouli dribbled through the defence and chipped the ball home via the crossbar in the 73rd to put the result beyond doubt. "We are happy, of course, but it is too early to take balance of the team," Pizzi said. "Im in favour of processes that take a long time. But yes, it helps that we were able to do what we wanted to do the first time. Now we have to work to improve and correct our mistakes." Pizzi will face a tough second test on Tuesday when Valencia hosts Atletico in the Copa del Rey. Almeria forward Aleix Vidal led the way past Granada by crossing for Sebastian Dubarbiers opener and adding a goal of his own after Jose "Verza" Garcia converted a penalty. Betis draw at Valladolid gave the Seville-based side its second point away from home this season. Also on Sunday, its: Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla vs. Getafe, and Osasuna vs. Espanyol. Villarreal plays at Rayo Vallecano also on Monday. John Starks Jersey . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success. Mitchell Robinson Jersey . 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Nov. 37, 2014LAST WEEK — Cowboys beat Bears 41-28; Eagles lost to Seahawks 24-14AP PRO32 RANKING — Cowboys No. 9, Eagles No. 5COWBOYS OFFENSE — OVERALL (9), RUSH (3), PASS (28)COWBOYS Defence — OVERALL (22), RUSH (17), PASS (25)EAGLES OFFENSE — OVERALL (5), RUSH (7), PASS (8)EAGLES Defence — OVERALL (24), RUSH (18), PASS (26)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Cowboys are 6-0 on road. Theyve never finished a season 8-0 away from home. ... Seeking first 10-4 start since 1995. ... Cowboys won 17-3 in Philadelphia on Oct. 20, 2013. ... QB Tony Romo 7--6 vs.dddddddddddd Eagles with 17 TDs and 15 interceptions. ... TE Jason Witten has 126 catches for 1,424 yards and seven TDs in 22 games against Philadelphia. Hes four catches away from 11th consecutive season with 50 receptions. ... RB DeMarco Murray has 11 100-yard rushing games, tied with Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith for most in team history. ... Eagles QB Mark Sanchez 2-0 vs. Dallas. ... Team 20-3 when RB LeSean McCoy runs for 100 yards. He has 474 yards with three 100-yard games in past four vs. Dallas. ... LB Connor Barwin leads NFC with 13 1/2 sacks. ... WR Jeremy Maclin has career highs in receptions (74) and yards (1,109). ... TE Zach Ertz has career-high 499 yards.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '