Botafogo loses to Atlético de Madrid, but guarantees a place in the round of 16 of the World Cup
Griezmann ends 18-game goalless streak and seals Spanish victory at Rose Bowl; Alvinegro advances to second place
Botafogo classified
The game at the Rose Bowl seemed to be heading towards a goalless draw between Atlético de Madrid and Botafogo. Griezmann, in the 41st minute of the second half, ended an 18-match goalless streak to secure a 1-0 Spanish victory, causing the Alvinegro team some suffocation in the aftermath. Botafogo, however, could have lost by up to two goals – and, despite the stumble, the Rio de Janeiro club finished Group B in second place and advanced to the round of 16 of the World Cup.
First half without goals
The first half ended in a draw at the Rose Bowl. The first big chance of the match came in the 9th minute, with Savarino coming face to face with the goal and Oblak making a save. Botafogo resorted to quick counterattacks and, in one of them, Artur almost opened the scoring with a shot that took a deflection before going close to Oblak.
Gallagher had a good chance but sent his shot over John’s goal, and Atlético narrowly missed out on Barboza’s mistake when he cleared the ball with Barrios. The Spanish side’s best shot came towards the end, with Julián Álvarez shooting very close to the goal.
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There was also a check for a possible penalty for Gregore stepping on Julián Álvarez. After reviewing the incident on the monitor, the referee allowed the game to continue and signaled a foul by Sorloth on Jair seconds before.
Nerves on edge at the end
The second half started slower, but Atlético de Madrid gradually found their feet. In the 15th minute, when the Spanish side were more in their favor, Llorente crossed a good ball for Sorloth to send wide.
Botafogo readjusted their attacking path with the entries of Montoro and Cuiabano, and the full-back sent a precise ball to Igor Jesus, who hit it first time and forced Oblak to defend.
The number of chances for both sides increased, with chances for Montoro and Griezmann. Until, in the 41st minute, Jair shot at Gregore and started a rebound in the area. The play continued with Julián Álvarez, who crossed for Griezmann to score alone in the back of John’s net. Atlético continued pressing, but were unable to score again. The Spanish victory by 1-0 qualified Botafogo.
How did the group turn out?
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Paris Saint-Germain beat Seattle Sounders 2-0 to take first place in Group B with six points. There was a three-way tie in the group, as Botafogo and Atlético de Madrid finished the group stage with the same number of points.
Direct confrontations – the World Cup’s first tiebreaker – were canceled, as each team had one win and one loss among the tied teams. PSG beat Atlético, who beat Botafogo, who beat PSG.
The group classification was defined by the goal difference in the games between these three teams only. The French had a goal difference of +3, Botafogo had zero and Atlético had -3. Therefore, PSG and Botafogo advanced, with the black and whites in second place.
And who comes next?
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With their spots secured, PSG and Botafogo will now turn their attention to Group A, which includes Palmeiras, Inter Miami, Porto and Al Ahly. The French team will face the second-placed team in the group, on the right side of the draw, while Alvinegro will prepare to face the group leader on the left side. The third round of Group A starts this Monday, at 10 pm (Brasília time).
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Gregore received a yellow card for being late and will be out for Botafogo in the round of 16. The Club World Cup regulations provide for a two-card suspension, and warnings are reset after the quarter-finals.
