Atletico Champions League hopes dented after loss against Bilbao
MADRID : Defending champion Atletico Madrid lost at Athletic Bilbao 2-0 to lose ground in the tight fight for the Champions League places. Diego Simeone’s team stayed in fourth place, two points from third-placed Barcelona and four points ahead of fith-placed Real Betis, which visits Getafe on Monday.
Atletico has won only one of their last six games in all competitions, with three losses and two draws.
Villarreal’s hopes of securing a European place next season took a hit ater losing at Alaves 2-1. Alaves moved off the botom of the table and kept alive its chance of escaping relegation.
Villarreal on Tuesday will try to reverse a 2-0 first-leg loss at Liverpool in the Champions League semifinals. Levante dropped to last place ater drawing with 10-man Valencia 1-1. Defender Jose Luis Gaya was sent off in the 31st minute. Valencia was coming off a loss to Real Betis in the Copa del Rey final.
Meanwhile, About 150,000 jubilant Real Madrid fans flocked to the city’s central Cibeles fountain on Saturday to join the players for a celebration of their record-extending 35th Laliga title which was clinched with a 4-0 home win against Espanyol.
The supporters started gathering around the central landmark where the club usually celebrate their successes almost an hour before the end of Saturday’s game, which Real won easily with two first-half goals by Rodrygo spurring them on.
Traffic restrictions were put in place as early as Friday while a stage was built around the fountain where the players on an open-top bus traditionally join the fans coming from the Santiago Bernabeu to continue the party.
It is the first time Real supporters have had a chance to gather without wearing masks for a celebration ater the COVID-19 pandemic as the club’s last league title triumph in 2020 was in the middle of lockdown. The party started in the stadium with captain Marcelo leading the show.
It was a record-breaking day for the Brazilian defender who won his 24th piece of silverware with Real to leapfrog Gento as the player with the most trophy wins in the club’s 120-year history.
He joined Benzema in liting the trophy and led the team around the stadium as the players and coaches celebrated with their families on the pitch for more than an hour as thousands of fans remained in the stands to share the moment.
Two hours ater the game the players arrived at Cibeles and Marcelo, in what is set to be the last of the 33-year-old’s 16 seasons at the Spanish club, took the traditional responsibility of ‘crowning’ the Greek goddess statue.
He placed a Real Madrid scarf around the head of the statue and a white flag with the club’s coat of arms over her chest as his team mates and fans raised their hands, waving in rhythm with ‘We Are The Champions’ which was being played loudly.
Real’s usually low-profile Italian coach Carlo Anceloti was one of the more animated during the celebrations in the stadium and at Cibeles, closing his speech to the fans by shouting a batle cry: “Let’s go against Man City!”, in reference to their Champions League semi-final, second leg on Wednesday.