Burkina Faso
Croatia
Czech Republic
Indonesia
International Tournaments
Nigeria
Republic OF Ireland
South Africa

Simeone red card and dramatic finish are latest blows to Atletico title defence

mirror.co.uk, 28 October 2021, 22:27

A trip to winless Levante represented an opportunity for Atletico Madrid to regain ground in the quest to retain their Spanish league title.

Dropped points against Alaves and Real Sociedad in recent weeks had left Diego Simeone and his team playing catch-up, and things got worse for them as their relegation-battling opponents salvaged a point with a last-minute penalty.

Simeone became the latest manager to see red in a big European league, following recent dismissals for the likes of Jose Mourinho and Luciano Spalletti in Serie A, when he was sent to the stands by referee Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes.

The result leaves Atletico down in sixth place in La Liga, with a big test against high-flyers Real Betis coming up on Sunday.

Diego Simeone was sent off 10 minutes from the end of Atletico Madrid's draw ( Image:

NurPhoto/PA Images)

Levante took four points off the champions last season, with Enis Bardhi frustrating Simeone's side at Ciutat de Valencia back in February, and the North Macedonia midfielder was the home side's hero again.

Bardhi had already converted from the spot once to cancel out Antoine Griezmann's first-half opener, only for Matheus Cunha to put the visitors back in front.

However, he got another opportunity from 12 yards when Renan Lodi was ruled to have handled, and kept his cool to find the bottom corner and beat Jan Oblak.

Simeone's red card was awarded for a second yellow, and five of his players also went into the book as referee Gonzalez Fuertes was a busy man.

His dismissal comes after a slew of reds in Italy's top tier, with Mourinho, Spalletti, Simone Inzaghi and Gian Piero Gasperini all handed recent suspensions.

One of Atletico's bookings went the way of Angel Correa during the fall-out from the award of Levante's second penalty, which was only confirmed after the referee consulted VAR, and nearly 10 minutes of stoppage time were added on at the end of the game.

Levante also picked up a red card of their own, but defender Rober was only shown his second yellow card after the final whistle.

Atletico find themselves down in sixth place after the evening's games, five points off the top of the table, though they have a game in hand on some of the teams above them.

One of those sides, Real Betis, visit the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday two points ahead of the champions, having won their last three league games on the spin.

After their weekend test, Simeone's side will travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Champions League, where a defeat could see them drop to third in their group if results elsewhere go against them.

Levante, meanwhile, remain in the bottom three after extending their winless start to 11 games. However, they will hope the late point spurs them on ahead of a meeting with Granada on Monday,

Show more

Top News

2 February 2025 talksport.com Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens has admitted his regret following a comment about Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have confirmed the signing of defender Patrick Dorgu from Lecce on a contract until June 2030. 2 February 2025 talksport.com Ruben Amorim has landed his first signing as Manchester United boss after Patrick Dorgu completed his £29million switch to Old Trafford. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Atletico Madrid will be aiming to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey when they welcome fellow La Liga outfit Getafe to Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday night. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be aiming to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey when they take on Leganes in the final eight of the competition on Wednesday night. 2 February 2025 talksport.com Roy Keane knew Cristiano Ronaldo was destined for greatness the moment he arrived at Manchester United. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have confirmed that Antonio Rudiger suffered "an injury to the biceps femoris in his right leg" during the early stages of Sunday night's La Liga clash with Espanyol. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United have reportedly agreed a deal with Brighton & Hove Albion to loan Evan Ferguson. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Lens defender Kevin Danso on loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Jim White and his yellow tie. Harry Redknapp leaning out of his car window to exchange pleasantries with reporters. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa will reportedly have the chance to sign Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on a permanent basis during this summer's transfer window for £40m. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making an attempt to sign Aston Villa attacker Leon Bailey on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, as the Red Devils looks to bring in a replacement for Marcus Rashford. 2 February 2025 talksport.com Marcus Rashford was told Ruben Amorim would not play him at Manchester United if he stayed at the club, talkSPORT understands. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid suffered a major blow during Saturday's shock 1-0 defeat to Espanyol, with Antonio Rudiger being forced off in the first half of the La Liga contest with a suspected muscular problem. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Adana Demirspor vs. Kasimpasa (Sunday, 10.30am) With each passing gameweek in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig, Adana Demirspor's hopes of avoiding relegation continue to fade, and the league's bottom side will look to keep their survival dreams alive when they host Kasimpasa at the New Adana Stadium on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon vs. Farense (Sunday, 6.00pm) Fresh off the back of reaching the Champions League knockout phase, Sporting Lisbon welcome SC Farense to the Estadio Jose Alvalade in round 20 of the Primeira Liga on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Almere City vs. RKC Waalwijk (Sunday, 11.15am) With both teams running out of time to preserve their Eredivisie status, Almere City and RKC Waalwijk will do battle at the Yanmar Stadion on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Barcelona's pursuit of La Liga leaders Real Madrid will continue on Sunday afternoon, when they welcome struggling Alaves to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for a must-win contest. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus vs. Empoli (Sunday, 11.30am) After back-to-back defeats, Juventus will seek an end to their three-game winless streak on Sunday, when they welcome Serie A strugglers Empoli to Turin. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Frankfurt vs. Wolfsburg (Sunday, 2.30pm) Eintracht Frankfurt's home clash against Wolfsburg at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday in the Bundesliga could be hugely significant in the race for Champions League football. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Toulouse vs. Nice (Sunday, 2.00pm) Europe hopefuls Toulouse welcome Champions League-chasing Nice in Sunday's gameweek 20 Ligue 1 action at Stadium de Toulouse. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Motherwell vs. Celtic (Sunday, 3.00pm) Motherwell, looking to rebound from three consecutive defeats, will host Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The opening match in the Coupe de France round of 16 will see Dunkerque seeking an upset victory over Lille on Tuesday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Troyes will seek a place in the Coupe de France quarter-finals for the first time in a dozen years when they host Brest on Tuesday at Stade de l'Aube. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over a deal to send midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan to the Signal Iduna Park, according to a report. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tyrell Malacia's proposed loan move from Manchester United to Benfica has reportedly collapsed due to the Portuguese side failing to meet the Red Devils' demands. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed that influential attacker Matheus Cunha has signed a new contract at the club until the summer of 2029. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Jude Bellingham was every football fan as the Real Madrid star reacted in awe to Chris Wood's hat-trick. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Carlos Romero scored the only goal of the match as Espanyol recorded a shock 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in Saturday night's La Liga contest in Catalonia.