After losing heavily to Benfica on MD2, Atletico Madrid have now made it back-to-back Champions League defeats. Despite a strong start, Diego Simeone’s side went down 3-1 to Lille at the Metropolitano.
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) October 23, 2024
It was a golden start for Atleti, as they led inside eight minutes. A dreadful defensive error allowed Julian Alvarez to open the scoring – his first goal in the competition since joining from Manchester City in the summer.
The scored stayed at 1-0 until the second half, when Lille launched a fightback. They scored the equaliser courtesy of Edon Zhegrova, and on the 75th minute, Jonathan David netted from the penalty spot to complete the comeback. The Canadian striker was able to add his second goal just before stoppage time, which ensured the 3-1 success for the Ligue 1 side.
It is another desperately disappointing Champions League night for Atletico Madrid, and their chances of automatically qualifying for the last 16 are all-but over. They’re still well in contention for a play-off place, but they need to turn things around quickly.
