November 01, (THEWILL) – For the first time since the 2010/2011 campaign, Atletico Madrid will not play in Europe’s elite competition in the second half of the season, after finishing last in their UEFA Champions League Group B, no thanks to a 2-1 loss to Porto on Tuesday.
A third-place finish could have earned Diego Simeone’s team an Europa League ticket, but a lacklustre performance at the Dragao on Tuesday guaranteed Bayer Leverkusen, who drew 0-0 with Club Brugge, seized that slot.
Mehdi Taremi’s poacher’s goal gave Porto control after only five minutes, and Stephen Eustaquio’s decisive goal just before the half-hour mark cemented their lead.
Ivan Marcano put the ball into his own net to halve the deficit as Atletico brightened up toward the end, but it was too late to make a difference. To make it more painful, an Antoine Griezmann goal was contentiously chalked off.
While Atletico will now turn their full attention back to La Liga knowing they will not even have Europa League action in the new year, Porto can look forward to the draw for the last 16 on Monday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
