Atlético Madrid crash out of Club World Cup

Atlético Madrid’s FIFA Club World Cup dreams ended in frustration on Monday, 23 June, as Diego Simeone’s side fell short of the three-goal margin needed to progress, despite a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brazil’s Botafogo at the Rose Bowl.

The Spanish giants needed a dominant performance to leapfrog their South American opponents in Group B but struggled to break down a disciplined Botafogo defence. 

Antoine Griezmann’s late strike proved nothing more than a consolation, leaving Atlético to rue missed chances in a tournament that slipped through their fingers.

A night of missed opportunities

With Botafogo sitting deep, Atlético laboured in attack for much of the match. Griezmann, introduced at half-time, almost made an instant impact—only to see his angled strike cannon off the post.

Alexander Sørloth, the tournament’s expected goals (xG) leader before kick-off, then squandered a golden opportunity, nodding wide from six yards.

The breakthrough finally came in the 87th minute when Griezmann fired home from close range—but the goal arrived too late to spark a miraculous turnaround.

Botafogo held firm to secure their place in the last 16, where they will face the winners of Group A.

Simeone’s brutal honesty

A visibly frustrated Simeone did not hold back in his post-match assessment. “We knew beforehand that it was a very nice and exciting tournament, but for us Europeans, it comes at the end of the season, and for the South Americans, it’s in the middle.”

Reflecting on Atlético’s campaign, the Argentine admitted: “I didn’t like the first match, beyond the result, because we weren’t compact. Then in Seattle, we looked better in the first half, and today we played as we usually do, intensely, looking for goals. But the situations didn’t go our way, and we didn’t have the luck to score.”

“We’re not in the same league as PSG and Botafogo, but we got the same number of points as the Libertadores and Champions League winners and we’re out. That’s the beautiful thing about football: it tells you that we’re close, but we’re always just a little bit short.”

What’s next?

Botafogo march on as South America’s surprise package, while Atlético return to Spain with questions over their ability to compete at the highest level.

For Simeone, the focus now shifts to rebuilding ahead of the new LaLiga season—but this early exit will sting.