(Football news) Atletico Madrid last season made a great comeback to qualify for the Champions League. Their UCL campaign this season however has been nothing short of disappointment. After winning the opening game against Porto, Atleti lost 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge. They then drew against Brugge which meant that they needed to beat Bayer Leverkusen at the Wanda Metropolitano. The Rojiblancos came back from behind twice as the score was 2-2. Yannick Carrasco had a chance to score from the penalty spot but the spot kick was saved. The rebound also hit the crossbar as the game finished at 2-2. 

Atletico Madrid have failed to make it to the UCL knockouts for only the 2nd time since 2010. The last time was in 2017/18 in which they dropped to the Europa League and won the competition. This time around there is a chance that they might not even make it to the Europa League as Leverkusen still have a chance to overtake them and take 3rd spot in the group. When the groups were drawn a lot of people would've had Atleti as clear table toppers and rightly so. Diego Simeone after the game said "It's the hardest moment but I'm going to continue insisting on this club to get something we need, such as the Champions League".

Simeone has always done well when Atletico Madrid were underdogs in a league dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona. But now Atlético Madrid are spending a lot of money, buying some of the most sought after talents in the World. They have spent over €800 million on players since 2016 which is a lot of money, even for a big club. It may be the end of Simeone's era at the club. He may not be sacked but with his current deal ending in 2024 and the Atletico Madrid hierarchy might be looking for his successor already.

Also read: Barcelona drop down to the Europa League for the 2nd season in a row