Brazilian club Botafogo took on Spanish giants Atlético Madrid Monday afternoon at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Botafogo came into the match atop Group B with seven points, part of a South American contingent who haven’t lost a match in the tournament so far. Madrid, on the other hand, sat in third with four points and badly needed a win to advance.
For all of Botafogo’s success in this tournament, Atlético Madrid truly showed up ready for battle, as they dominated possession and were relentless in attack. Their efforts would pay off with a 1-0 victory for the Spaniards, but that wasn’t enough to send them through.
Just before halftime, Julián Alvarez had a decent look with a half volley, just in front of the goalkeeper, but he struck the ball toward the ground and went wide of the far post. He had another chance a few minutes later but was fouled and brought to ground by Igor Jesus. After VAR review, the referee decided a penalty wasn’t warranted (a foul occurred in the build-up).
After the break, ATM brought in their all-time top scorer, Antoine Griezmann. In the 59th minute, the French star was sprinting down the left flank and penetrated the 18. As he closed in on goal, he tried to go near-post on the goalkeeper, but John’s diving attempt wasn’t needed as Griezmann’s shot went wide.
Botafogo had a handful of chances in the second half. Both Igor Jesus and Álvaro Montoro had chances on goal, but Jan Oblak was determined to have a clean sheet.
The match was finally put to bed when the halftime substitute Griezmann got hold of the ball and fired a shot with confidence past John. With chaos happening in the box, a low cross came through from the left side of the 18 through to Griezmann on the right. His one-timed effort was accurate and spurred a roar from the crowd. But with the goal coming near the end of the match, it was too little, too late, for Atleti.
In a three-way tie for six points, it all came down to goal differential. Paris Saint-Germain wins Group B after thumping Seattle Sounders 2-0 with a goal differential of +5. Botafogo had six points coming into the match and will end the group phase with a +1 goal differential, while Atlético Madrid ends with a -1 goal differential, meaning they exit alongside Seattle.
With Paris Saint-Germain seizing top place in Group B, they advance to the Round of 16 and will face the second-place winner of Group A (Palmeiras, Inter Miami, or Porto). Botafogo advances as the second-place winner in Group B and will face the winner of Group A—we’ll know the results after tonight’s 9:00 PM matches.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Getty Images