Atletico Madrid vs. Benfica: Winners and Losers from Champions League Game
Atletico Madrid tumbled to a 2-1 home defeat to Benfica at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday.
Nicolas Gaitan and Goncalo Guedes were the goalscorers after Angel Correa had put Atletico in front.
It was a surprise result because Diego Simeone's side are notoriously good at home in Europe, and it puts the Portuguese outfit in command of Group C with six points to Atletico's three. Meanwhile, Galatasaray and Astana have one each.
Here are the winners and losers from the game.
Loser: Diego Simeone
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This has not been a good few days for Diego Simeone.
On Saturday night, his team lost 1-0 to Villarreal at El Madrigal.
It was a sobering loss because had Atletico won that game, they could have gone to the top of the table. Instead, their opponents did.
Then this UEFA Champions League defeat is problematic because it hands Benfica the advantage in Group C.
That might result in Atletico facing a tougher opponent in the next round, should they eventually finish second.
And next up? Arch-rivals Real Madrid.
This has not been good preparation for the Madrid derby on Sunday, and Simeone will not have been pleased to see Cristiano Ronaldo find his shooting boots as Madrid won 2-0 in Malmo.
Winner: Nicolas Gaitan
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Argentina winger Nicolas Gaitan had a wonderful game on the left flank for Benfica.
He gave Juanfran a torrid time, catching him out of position for the second goal, after which he played a delicious pass for Goncalo Guedes to run onto and finish with aplomb.
And that came after he scored the opener, ramming home at the back post as the ball dropped kindly to him.
Gaitan has often been linked to a move to the Premier League and Manchester United in particular, per Portugal's A Bola (h/t the Express' David Wright).
He was the key man for his side in a victory that Benfica will cherish, and perhaps he is one step closer to getting that lucrative transfer deal.
Loser: Jackson Martinez
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Another game, another tough night in front of goal for the Colombian forward.
According to F.J. Diaz of AS.com (h/t ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan), Simeone was supportive of him before the game. Afterwards, however, he was upset about the chances that had been wasted by both Martinez and Angel Correa.
"The team looked to create throughout the game, but football is about the chances you take, not how many you create," he said, per Sport EN. "On the pitch Benfica played a competitive game and deserved the victory for their effectiveness in front of goal."
"It is frustrating because I can feel the support I have from the fans, my teammates and the the coaching staff," Jackson said, per Sport EN. "I want to give my all so that things go well. I will continue working so that in the next game, the Madrid derby, I can do better."
The striker missed two golden opportunities: one diving header from an Oliver Torres cross, which hit the post, and another from close range, which was brilliantly saved by Julio Cesar.
Winner: Rui Vitoria
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Atletico Madrid have been astonishingly good at home in the Champions League.
After Correa struck in the first half, the Rojiblancos had scored 16 without reply on their turf in Europe.
That covered seven matches, with the last player to score against them being Kaka in March 2014 for AC Milan, 568 days ago.
If they had shut out Benfica, they would also have set a record for keeping the most consecutive clean sheets at home in the competition.
However, Simeone's side got a taste of their own medicine. Usually, they are the ones to hit their opponents on the break, but this time they were finished by a swift counter-attack.
Rui Vitoria's tactics were perfect, and the coach is the first man to mastermind a victory over Atletico in the Champions League since their rivals Porto did it in 2009.
Loser: A Few Benfica Supporters
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Most Benfica supporters had a wonderful night. They were loud, proud and delighted with their team, as well they should have been.
They had been enjoying themselves in Madrid's Plaza Mayor during the day before heading to the game. Both team and fans got the reward they deserved when Gaitan found the net in the 36th minute. The fans roared, setting off smoke bombs and lighting flares.
Unfortunately, that's when things started to go wrong.
Some supporters decided to throw a couple of flares down onto the Atletico Madrid fans below.
According to EFE/AS.com, a flare fell onto the seat of a two-year-old child, who was fortunately unharmed, while some other supporters had to be treated for minor burns.
"In addition to the flares some fans were seen urinating and spitting onto the Atleti supporters in the lower section of the stand," the report stated.
These fans let their team down, and the Portuguese side may well be punished by UEFA at a later date.
The other supporters were a credit to their side, and many in Madrid will have enjoyed meeting them.
