Leipzig fall to defeat in Madrid as Giménez grabs glory for Atlético

Die Roten Bullen made the trip to the Spanish capital for a meeting with Atlético Madrid this evening. Marco Rose’s side found an early lead through Xavi Simons before Antoine Griezmann restored parity and Jose Giménez struck late as Atlético ran out 2-1 winners.

Leipzig couldn’t have dreamt of a better start by hitting the front inside 4 minutes tonight. Atléti are typically known for their teak tough defending, although it was anything but as Openda cut in. Oblak managed to parry the Belgian’s effort, but Šeško nodded home the rebound before Llorente could clear. 

Atlético should have been level if not for Orban’s superb block on Griezmann in the subsequent attack. However, the talismanic Frenchman would score before the half-hour as his thunderous volley hopped off the turf and over Gulacsi’s outstretched fingers. Marcos Llorente measured his delivery to perfection from the right wing to pick out his teammate in a central position.

Antonio Nusa’s night came to an end after the interval as Christoph Baumgartner. Both sides endured a relatively quiet patch in terms of offensive output as the game largely played out in midfield. Benjamin Henrichs’ freekick after the hour caused some chaos but ultimately Jan Oblak did well to punch clear. The German fullback did well to recover at the opposite end, preventing Samuel Lino getting his shot on target.

Substitutes began to roll on with Geertruida and Poulsen featuring with 20 minutes remaining. The Danish striker almost made an instant impact with a glancing header directed just past the post from Raum’s cross. Gulacsi also had to deny Griezmann from close range, although the attacker was visibly offside. Just as it looked as if Leipzig would hang on, Atléti constructed the winner. Griezmann crossed to the back post where Giménez climbed above Seiwald to nod into the lower left corner.