December 08, (THEWILL) – After a hard-fought 3-1 triumph in Portugal, Atletico Madrid advanced to the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, while Porto were relegated to the the UEFA Europa League.
Luis Suarez’s night came to an end in the 13th minute when he was substituted by Matheus Cunha. It appeared the emotional Uruguayan had taken a knock.
In the 23rd minute, Atletico Madrid had a wonderful chance to grab the lead. After a ball from Yannick Carrasco fizzed across the goal through a deflection from Thomas Lemar at the front post, Antoine Greizmann had an empty net to aim for, but he did not quite connect as he arrived in behind.
Porto had a flurry of chances near the end of the first period, but Jan Oblak’s clutch saves kept the score tied as the teams headed for the break.
Griezmann gave Atletico the lead just before the hour mark. Lemar swung in a corner that was greeted by the head of Geoffrey Kondogbia, whose flick-on found Griezmann unmarked at the back post, allowing Atletico to take the lead.
A major talking point of the game began after Carrasco was shown a red for gripping his opponent by the neck and throwing him to the ground. From that point, the game devolved into mayhem. In the end, Wendell, a Porto substitute, was also sent off as a result of the incident.
There was still much to play for in the end because Angel Correa raced free from a faltering Porto defence and buried a second goal to extend Madrid’s lead. Rodrigo de Paul also scored a close-range goal to put the game out of reach deep into additional time, making it 3-0.
Porto scored a goal with a Sergio Oliveira penalty in the final seconds, but it was only a consolation effort. As a result of the outcome, Atletico Madrid will finish second in Group B and advance to the next round. Meanwhile, Porto will have to settle for third place and the Europa League.
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.
