Atletico Madrid Crash Out of Club World Cup Despite Late Griezmann Goal

Atlético Madrid are heading home far sooner than they’d hoped, crashing out of the Club World Cup in the group stage despite a narrow 1-0 win over Botafogo on Monday.

It was a frustrating afternoon at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where Antoine Griezmann’s late strike sealed the win—but not Atlético’s place in the next round. The damage had already been done in their earlier 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, and with PSG taking care of the Seattle Sounders 2-0 in the group’s other match, Diego Simeone’s side were left relying on goal difference. That didn’t go in their favor. Botafogo, who had stunned PSG in their second group game, finished level on six points with Atleti but edged ahead on goal difference to grab second place in Group B. PSG topped the group, also with six points. 

For Simeone, the early exit was bitter—and he didn’t hold back when asked what went wrong. “Proud of the boys' work. We gave absolutely everything we had. We won two out of three matches and even so, sadly we're out,” he told DAZN after the match. “With six points, it wasn't bad, but the match against PSG condemned us, where every refereeing decision always went against us. Today's game also had a penalty decision overturned after a VAR review. It's more of the same.” The Atlético boss has often been known for his fiery passion, and his frustration was clear. A contentious VAR decision in the Botafogo game didn’t help either. 

Griezmann, who scored the only goal of the game by smashing in a Julian Alvarez cross in the 87th minute, struck a more measured tone. “We can't focus on the referee. Sometimes we're not at our best, and we must address that,” the Frenchman said post-match. Griezmann was one of the few bright spots for Atleti in what was otherwise a disappointing campaign. The side looked far removed from the gritty, disciplined teams that Simeone once led to two Champions League finals. 

The sting of elimination is made worse by the sight of arch-rivals Real Madrid cruising towards the knockout rounds of FIFA’s revamped tournament. With a long summer ahead, Atlético now have plenty to think about. From inconsistent form to shaky defending and missed chances, there's a lot to fix if they want to bounce back and seriously contend next season. For now, though, it's an early plane ride home and a tournament that promised more than it delivered.