Atletico beaten as Celta keeps UCL hopes alive
Atletico Madrid missed out on the chance of sealing automatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League with three games remaining as it was beaten 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo, which itself closed in on the top five.
Diego Simeone’s men, who were dumped out of UEFA's premier competition at the semi-final stage by Arsenal in midweek, did go close in the opening 15 minutes as winger Ademola Lookman struck the crossbar with a shot.
Antonie Griezmann, starting his penultimate match at the Metropolitano before his time at the club comes to an end in the summer, forced a save from goalkeeper Ionut Radu in the 28th minute.
Atletico went close again six minutes after the restart as Alex Baena’s cutback was met instinctively by Alexander Sorloth in the six-yard box, but Radu made an acrobatic stop to deny the Norwegian.
Baena was a threat once again down the right side as his fine cross was met by Lookman at the back post, but he could only balloon his effort over the crossbar from just yards out.
The visitors took the lead against the run of play in the 62nd minute as a rare counter-attack saw Williot Swedberg thread a pass through to Borja Iglesias, who produced an impudent lop which sailed over the head of goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Atletico struggled to create clear-cut chances in their response, as Sorloth failed to threaten Radu with a header that flew well over the crossbar, while substitute Cubo drove an effort wide of the far post with his left foot.
This was Atleti's first defeat to Celta since September 2018, and its first home loss to its opponent since June 2007.
Including the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Simeone's side has lost 19 of its 61 matches this season across all competitions, its second-highest tally of defeats in a single campaign in the 21st Century, behind the 2009-2010 season when it lost 24.
"Right now, we need to manage the situation," Simeone said. "The players have played a crucial role in La Liga, achieving the club's objective of qualifying for the [UEFA] Champions League.
"We competed very well in the [UEFA] Champions League, performing better than expected. In the Copa del Rey, we went as far as we could, losing on penalties.
"I don't need to tell them anything; we just need to manage the situation, finish strong, talk to them, thank them for their effort, and that's about it.
"It's about managing the moment, just like we manage other different moments."
Atleti faces Osasuna on 13 May (AEST), before it hosts Girona in its final home game of the season next weekend.
