Levante vs. Atletico Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Atletico Madrid are out of the title race.
Despite Atleti taking the lead at Levante on Sunday through Fernando Torres, the Valencian side mounted a comeback, winning 2-1, and the Rojiblancos left with nothing.
It means they cannot win the title, as they are three points behind Barcelona with one game to play.
Even if Barcelona lose, Atletico have the worse head-to-head record against the Catalan side, so they would finish second or third depending on Real Madrid's result.
Here are the winners and losers from the game...
Loser: Stefan Savic
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Stefan Savic has had a good season, always impressive when given the chance to play, until today.
The defender sent a header wide of the post with the score tied at 1-1, which was a good opportunity to take the lead.
Arguably the equaliser was his fault too, with Atletico blogger Joseph Walker giving him a four out of 10 rating at ESPN FC, writing: "Dived in, allowing Mauricio Cuero to beat him easily to put the cross in that saw Levante level things up."
The second Levante goal, scored in the 91st minute, saw Savic ran ragged as he chased back, unable to get close to either of the two breaking Levante players, with Giuseppe Rossi firing home the winner.
All in all, it was not his best day and not a game that will encourage manager Diego Simeone to start him ahead of Jose Gimenez in the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 28.
Winner: Giuseppe Rossi
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Levante have had a bad season, but by contrast, Giuseppe Rossi has had a good one.
The 29-year-old Italian striker joined the club in January, and although they have been relegated, he has been a bright spark.
Rossi has offered six goals and two assists in 17 games for his side, with the latest arriving against Atletico here.
Only on as a substitute for the final period of the game, he was fresh and raced clear to fire past goalkeeper Jan Oblak from nearly 20 yards to seal a late win for his team.
He will return to Fiorentina in the summer, but anyone looking for a striker for next season would do well to check out Rossi.
Loser: Diego Simeone
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This was the second of three games he is banned for in La Liga, and the Argentinian coach was left frustrated as a last-minute goal put his side out of the title race.
What's more, this is the fifth time Atletico Madrid have visited the Ciutat de Valencia under Simeone, and he has not been able to record a win there.
Two draws and now three defeats are an ugly record for a coach who commands respect virtually everywhere else he goes.
And to make matters worse, Atletico are now out of a title race they did so well to stay in.
Of course, if they win the Champions League final, that won't matter at all, but that's a big if.
Winner: Fernando Torres
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Fernando Torres has done virtually everything he can in the second half of the season to help bring Atletico back into the title race.
And when he opened the scoring in the second minute, it seemed like he was sending Atletico on the way to victory, bringing the race down to the final day.
A lovely through ball by Koke fed Torres, who finished lethally, lifting the ball over Levante goalkeeper Diego Marino first-time.
Torres had another chance later on, which he curled around the far post, continuing to look lively, even as his team-mates struggled to create.
Loser: Jan Oblak
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Jan Oblak had no chance with the first goal—a bullet header from Victor Casadesus—or the second, expertly tucked away by Rossi.
But the 6'0" Slovenian stopper now cannot beat the record for fewest goals conceded in a season.
The goalkeeper should still lift the Zamora Trophy but can only finish level with Paco Liano's record of only letting in 18 goals in a 38-game season.
Liano set the record while with Deportivo de la Coruna in 1993-94.
If Oblak keeps a clean sheet against Celta Vigo on the final day, he will be level with Liano. If he concedes, he'll be behind him.
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