Los Angeles, June 24
Atletico Madrid became the first European team to be eliminated from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup despite Antoine Griezmann's late goal helping the Spanish club beat Brazil's Botafogo 1-0 in Group B on Monday.
The narrow victory was not enough to send the Spanish side into the knockout stage, as three teams finished with six points in the group. Atletico was edged out on goal difference, finishing third behind Paris Saint-Germain and Botafogo.
Atletico dominated the match with 22 shots but struggled to convert until the 87th minute, when Griezmann slotted home a low cross from Julian Alvarez to break the deadlock, reports.
Botafogo, the reigning South American champions, employed a deep defensive setup and relied on quick counterattacks, producing four shots - three of them on target - all of which were denied by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
The match's most controversial moment came in first-half stoppage time when Alvarez was brought down in the box. However, after a VAR review, the referee opted not to award a penalty, prompting heated protests from the Atletico bench.
"Every refereeing decision in this tournament went against us," Atletico head coach Diego Simeone criticized the referee's decision in the post-match press conference.