Atlético continues to complicate its access to the knockout stages of the Champions League by drawing goalless this afternoon at the Metropolitano against Bruges, the surprising leader of the group but on the pitch the best of the four teams so far. Unlike the match in Bruges, in Madrid Ferran Jutglà, the former Barcelona player who destroyed the mattresses a week ago, had no weight in the game
With the tie there are not many opportunities left for Simeone's team, which links three games without winning. For the duel against the Belgian team, the Argentine coach played it up with Griezmann, highly motivated after his recent signing by the colchoneros, and Correa. The two born strikers remained on the bench: Morata and Cunha. The substitution of João Félix, the fourth in a row, is not surprising either. The Portuguese started the season very well, but at this point it is clear that he has lost Simeone's confidence, who never had it very high in the young Portuguese star, a player who is on the way to being lost if he continues in this trend.
As was the case in Bruges, the match began in turmoil, back and forth, with a more dominant Atlético, with Kondogbia at the controls. Griezmann did a lot of damage moving between the lines, but Bruges came out with many people who found spaces.
Griezmann had a couple of clear chances, a one-on-one and a header, but in both he found a good Mignolet, the hero of the match. Then Saúl would score, but the goal was invalidated due to previous offside. Very close to the break came the scare for the mattresses. Buchanan was brought down in the box by Molina and the referee awarded a penalty. However, Makkelie went to the VAR monitor and saw an earlier stomp by the Canadian footballer for Brugge and overturned his decision.
The second half began with a chance from Griezmann, but the game was balanced and at game time Simeone introduced a triple substitution: Carrasco, De Paul and Morata came on for Koke, Lemar and Correa. Again no sign of João Félix.
Atlético's game did not improve and with a quarter of an hour to go Cunha came on for Saúl, which Bruges coach Hoefkens took advantage of to remove Jutglá for Balanta, a midfielder. Simeone's last change wasn't João Félix either, despite the Portuguese warming up the entire second half. Witsel came on for Griezmann while João Félix threw his bib to the ground.
The match ended in a siege by Atlético. Bruges kept ten when Sowah saw the second yellow card in 82. Mignolet took a goal ball from Morata in 88 and another from Cunha in 91. It was an insurmountable wall for Atlético, who ended up desperate. Bruges is already in the eighths.
0 - Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Molina, Savic, Gimenez, Reinildo, Saul (Cunha, m. 73); Koke (De Paul, m. 60), Kondogbia, Lemar (Morata, m. 60); Strap (Carrasco, m. 60), Griezmann (Witsel, m. 79).
0 - Brujas: Mignolet; Odoi, Mechele, Sylla, Buchanan (Mata, m. 83); Skov Olsen (Meijer, m. 50), Onyedika, Vanaken, Nielsen; Sowah, Jutgla (Balanta, m. 73).
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands). He expelled Sowah (m. 81) for a double yellow card. He admonished the locals Savic (m. 46) and Kondogbia (m. 80) and the visitors Buchanan (m. 43) and Vanaken (m. 46).
Incidents: match corresponding to the fourth day of group B of the Champions League played at the Cívitas Metropolitano stadium before 60,810 spectators.
