Atletico held to frustrating draw by Lokomotiv
ATLETICO MADRID huffed and puffed against Lokomotiv Moscow but had to a settle for a disappointing 0-0 home draw in the Champions League yesterday which left them with plenty to do if they are to reach the knockout stages.
Atletico thought they had found a breakthrough midway through the second half when Koke netted on the rebound after a shot from Yannick Carrasco but the goal was ruled out for a narrow offside following a VAR review.
Defender Jose Gimenez missed a glorious chance to grab the winner in the closing stages, rising to meet a corner but narrowly heading wide of the near post.
The draw left Atletico second in Group A on five points after four games, with Lokomotiv third on three. Bayern Munich have qualified with 12 while RB Salzburg are last with one.
“We are very angry, the Champions League waits for no-one,” said Koke.
“We have been playing well recently but we have to win our next games now. We started with a lot of intensity and had a lot of chances but sometimes the ball just doesn’t want to go in.”
Lokomotiv almost stole a winner deep in added time with a rare venture into Atletico’s area but Stefan Savic made a crucial challenge to prevent what would have been a disastrous goal for the Spaniards and a lifeline for the Russians.
“We weren’t clinical, we lacked freshness but we played well, we were intense and wanted to win, and we could have scored a few times in the first 20 minutes,” added Simeone.
“The Champions League is getting a little difficult for us but we hope we can do better in our next game.” – Reuters