Atlético de Madrid falls 2-0 against Bruges in Champions League
"Los 'Colchoneros' only have three points in the first three matches of the current Champions League."
Atlético de Madrid fell 2-0 against Bruges this Tuesday in the Champions League, complicating their path in Group B, which is being led with authority by the Belgian team after their victory at the Jan Breydelstadion.
The goals by Kamal Sowah (36) and Ferrán Jutglà (61) gave the victory to the home team.
Atlético has three points, just like Porto and Bayer Leverkusen, while Bruges stands out with nine.
The lack of effectiveness by the rojiblanco team ended up costing them against a Bruges side that dominated the match and only gave up possession with the advantage on the scoreboard.
Atlético suffered the attacks from the right side by the Canadian Tajon Buchanan, who frustrated Reinildo, overwhelmed by the speed of the Bruges player in the first half.
Diego Simeone's team took some time to settle on the pitch with many inaccuracies that were taken advantage of by the Belgians to regain possession and move boldly towards Jan Oblak's goal.
Atlético could have taken the lead with a good incursion by Antoine Griezmann, who started in Bruges on Tuesday, but the Frenchman's shot from a difficult angle met the hands of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet (17).
The Bruges goalkeeper would once again come up big in a one-on-one situation with Álvaro Morata, frustrating Atlético's clearest chance in the first half (25).
The rojiblancos seemed to be on the rise, but then the home team's goal came to cut off the colchonero's progression.
The Spaniard Ferrán Jutglà dribbled his way to the end line to make a cross that was easily tapped in by Sowah to make it 1-0 (36).
The goal added to the problems of an Atlético team that lost Marcos Llorente to injury in the first half (32), while José María Giménez stayed in the locker room at halftime, replaced by Geoffrey Kongdobia after complaining of discomfort in one leg.
Atlético took a step forward in the second half, although they started with a scare when Jutglà volleyed a shot inside the box, forcing Oblak to make a crucial save (47).
The young Bruges forward appeared again shortly after to make it 2-0 by picking up a loose ball inside the Atlético box and firing a low and accurate shot by the post (61).
Atlético started to create more chances, propelled by Matheus Cunha's speed, who would end up causing a penalty when he was brought down by Casper Nielsen in the box.
Griezmann took the penalty kick, but hit the crossbar (76) in Atlético's best chance.
In the last fifteen minutes, Bruges focused on containing the rojiblancas attacks until they secured the victory, taking a giant step towards the round of 16.
On the other hand, Atlético can no longer afford any mistakes in their next three matches if they want to qualify for the next round. AFP