Atletico Madrid lost 1-0 to bottom-placed Levante at the Wanda Metropolitano last night. Gonzalo Melero scored the decisive goal six minutes short of the hour mark before Angel Correa’s stoppage time equaliser was ruled out for a foul in the buildup.
The defeat means that Atletico failed to take the opportunity to climb above Barcelona in La Liga and left themselves susceptible to being leapfrogged by Real Sociedad. They’re fifth in the league table, level on points with the former and one ahead of the latter. Both sides have a game in hand on Los Rojiblancos.
For Levante, the victory is titanic. It’s just their second of the season and sees them move within five points of 19th-placed Cadiz and six of 18th-placed Deportivo Alaves. Granada and safety from relegation are ten points clear of them.
Many observers have noted that losing to Levante feels like a rockbottom moment for Diego Simeone’s team. They’re defending champions, after all, but are a million miles off the title race. As things stand they have a battle on their hands to finish top four.
“The sensations are bad,” Marcos Llorente said post-match in comments carried by Marca. “It’s clear. We have to change things and that only depends on us. We’re already thinking about working to turn this situation around in the next game.
“In the end, football is complicated. Teams arrive that are below you but they still make things difficult for you. It happens a lot. It is what it is. We have to change things and that’s our job. The coaching staff and everybody else have to row in the same direction. I’m sure we’re going to change it.”
