Antoine Griezmann was introduced to the fans as a second half substitute on his Atletico Madrid return at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, yet on a night when Los Colchoneros drew 0-0 with Porto, the Frenchman’s sharp welcome with whistles was quickly forgotten.
Atleti struggled for much of the night, unable to find the opener against a Porto side that have perhaps even improved upon the 2020/21 season, where they sensationally eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus from the Champions League.
Pepe’s defensive experience thwarted anything the hosts tried in attack, whilst Jesus Corona and Otavio combined to cause Yannick Carrasco a real problem on the right.
Griezmann’s arrival coincided with Los Rojiblancos playing their best football of the night, as he created a chance for Angel Correa and then Luis Suarez.
The Frenchman brought quality to Atletico Madrid’s attacking probing, although it was a piece of incredible fortune that prevented the hosts from losing the game.
A disastrous defensive pass from Geoffrey Kondogbia allowed Mehdi Taremi to burst through unopposed on goal, kicking the ball into the onrushing body of Jan Oblak.
The ball appeared to ricochet off Taremi’s leg and bounce into the net, all but securing the three points for the Portuguese side.
However, VAR would intervene and determine that the goal should be ruled out for handball, with Taremi’s unconscious arm motion when falling over Oblak actually connecting with the ball.
The ball was en-route to the goal anyway, but VAR determined that the strike would not stand and thus the points were shared.
