Atletico exit Champions League

Introduction

Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the game as Bayer Leverkusen beat Atletico 1-0 in their Champions League Group C encounter on Tuesday.

The result leaves Leverkusen as Group C winners and Roma as runners up, meaning both will qualify for the Europa League knockout phase.

Karim Bellarabi scored in the third minute of stoppage time to give Bayer Leverkusen a 2-2 draw at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday and send the German side through to the Champions League knockout phase at the expense of the Spanish team.

Bayer Leverkusen equalized in the second minute of time added on for a handball by Griezmann.

Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt said, "We have made it further than anyone expected us to."

With Atletico leading 1-0 thanks to Antoine Griezmann's penalty, Leverkusen substitute Stefan Kiessling equalized in the second minute of time added on for a handball by Griezmann.

It was just what Bayer Leverkusen needed as they sought their first victory at the Wanda Metropolitano since 2001. The Bundesliga side had lost four games out of five since winning 2-1 at Valencia on Sunday, but now sit fourth in Group B with four points after this draw.

The teams went through to the final whistle before finding out that Roma had become only the third team ever to progress from a Champions League group despite losing its opening three games.

Roma were on the brink of elimination after losing all three games, but they managed to claw their way back into the competition thanks to a late goal in Belarus.

The Italian side had beaten AEK Athens 2-0 before losing 3-2 away at Manchester City. They then drew 2-2 with Stuttgart, before seeing out a 0-0 draw against CSKA Moscow in their final group game.

Roma's chances of qualification had evaporated early and it seemed that Atletico Madrid would progress as Group C winners instead of them. However, this result has led many people to question whether UEFA should change its rules around what happens if teams finish level on points despite each having won one match?

Roma drew 0-0 at BATE Borisov, who finished third behind Leverkusen, but advanced because of an inferior head-to-head record against Atletico after losing 2-0 at home and 3-2 away to Diego Simeone's side.

The Italian side finished third in their group and tied for fourth with BATE Borisov, who finished third behind Leverkusen.

Roma had an inferior head-to-head record against Atletico Madrid (2-0 home win; 3-2 away loss) after losing 2-0 at home and 3-2 away to Diego Simeone's side. Roma were also defeated by Leverkusen at the Veltins Arena in Germany on matchday three - their first competitive game since then being a 0-3 defeat on May 8th when they travelled back from Kiev after losing 3-1 there earlier that day.

"It's incredible,'' Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt said. "We have made it further than anyone expected us to.''

Leverkusen, who beat Atletico 2-1 in Germany on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in their history, were the only team from Group F to win their first three games and also lost their opening three games. But they have now won five of six matches since losing at Liverpool last month, including 3-0 at home against Tottenham Hotspur on Dec. 10.

Asked about his side's poor start in Europe, he replied, "I have always said that we mustn't think about games until they're over."

When pressed on the matter of how his side should approach a match against Leverkusen, Diego Simeone responded: "You know that it's not easy to play Leverkusen because they are very good at breaking down opponents' defences and scoring goals on counter-attacks. They also have players who can play with both feet up to their chest—a lot like me!"

Conclusion

"The draw has been very difficult,'' Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez said. "We have had to work very hard and we have done it.''

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Wednesday, October 26, 2022