Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen both eliminated from Champions League

sportsmole.co.uk, 26 October 2022, 21:11
Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen cannot qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League ahead of the final matchday, with the two teams playing out a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night.

The result has left Atletico in third spot in Group B on five points, four points behind second-placed Porto, while Leverkusen are fourth, one point behind their opponents in Spain.

As a result, the two teams will battle for the Europa League spot in the section, with Club Brugge and Porto both advancing to the round of 16 from the section.

Atletico had a golden chance to win it late on from the penalty spot following a VAR check, but Yannick Carrasco's effort was saved by Lukas Hradecky before Saul Niguez struck the crossbar and the ball was then cleared off the line in incredible scenes.

Leverkusen made the breakthrough in the ninth minute of the contest, with Moussa Diaby collecting a pass from Adam Hlozek before finding the back of the net past Jan Oblak.

Atletico could have levelled in the 12th minute when Angel Correa worked his way into the away side's penalty area, but the attacker's effort was well saved by Hradecky.

Diego Simeone's team did manage to equalise in the 22nd minute, though, when Carrasco picked out the bottom corner with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box.

Leverkusen answered straight back, with the Bundesliga outfit regaining the lead in the 29th minute courtesy of a goal from Callum Hudson-Odoi, who finished past Oblak after collecting a pass from Nadiem Amiri.

Alvaro Morata had an opportunity to make it 2-2 in the 34th minute when he met a cross from Antoine Griezmann, but the Spain international's effort was wide of the post.

Leverkusen had the final chance of the first half when the ball fell kindly for Diaby at the edge of the box, but the Frenchman's effort was just too high, with Atletico looking shaky at the back.

Atletico levelled the scores in the 50th minute through Rodrigo De Paul, with the half-time substitute finding the back of the net after smart work from Carrasco.

Simeone's side twice came close to a third through Griezmann before the hour, and the La Liga side were dominating the contest approaching the final 20 minutes of action.

Leverkusen were always dangerous on the break, though, and Oblak had to make a smart save to keep out an effort from Diaby in the 75th minute of the contest.

Hradecky then had to keep out a volley from Griezmann down the other end to prevent Leverkusen from conceding a third at Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico had a brilliant chance to keep their last-16 hopes alive late on, but Carrasco missed his penalty following a handball before Leverkusen survived two dangerous moments in the same incident, with the two teams now left to battle for third spot in the group.

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee Utd vs. Celtic (Sunday, 12.00pm) Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, will travel to Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon to face Dundee United. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 2.00pm) Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League for a brief time at least when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton have confirmed ex-Roma boss Ivan Juric as their new manager to replace Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest enhanced their Champions League credentials and condemned Brentford to their first home loss of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish burned some bridges with Aston Villa after taunting the club's fans following their victory over Manchester City. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A fitting final Premier League match before Christmas Day, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool engage in a battle of the behemoths in North London on Sunday afternoon. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa handed Manchester City a 2-1 defeat on Saturday, adding to the woes of Pep Guardiola's side, who have now endured nine losses in their last 12 matches. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has claimed that his side decided to defeat Manchester City "through domination" on Saturday afternoon. 21 December 2024 talksport.com "This is a crisis." 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Sevilla to Bernabeu on Sunday. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have added Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk to their wishlist for the summer transfer window, according to a report.