Daizen Maeda was sent off as Celtic suffered a thumping 6-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid to leave them adrift in their Champions League group.
Celtic were already trailing to Antoine Griezmann’s deflected goal when Maeda saw a yellow card upgraded to a red following a VAR review midway through the first half at the Estadio Metropolitano.
Alvaro Morata and Griezmann both netted doubles and Samuel Lino and Saul Niguez scored as Atletico capitalised on their numerical advantage in devastating fashion with a string of spectacular second-half goals.
Full-time in Madrid.#AtleticoMadridCeltic | #UCL | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/gFSMDjf4Hn
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 7, 2023
The damage was done when Maeda left a foot dangling as he went in for a 50-50 challenge with Mario Hermoso, who rolled around on the floor after being caught on the shin as he followed through.
Atletico boss Diego Simeone and six or seven of his backroom staff raced off the bench after the incident, sparking an angry reaction from Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers when the referee was called to his monitor.
Rodgers was booked for dissent as Simeone dragged one of his colleagues back from confronting the Celtic boss.
Celtic are now five points adrift of third-placed Feyenoord and, although not eliminated, they will need to beat Lazio and the Dutch side in their final two games while relying on favours from Atletico to have any hope of extending their European run beyond Christmas.
They will travel to Rome for the November 28 game with Lazio without Maeda and fellow winger Luis Palma, who picked up his third yellow card of the campaign when he was booked for dissent.
Rodgers picked the same team that played the bulk of the 2-2 draw with Atletico two weeks ago. That meant Paulo Bernardo came in for David Turnbull, who had scored in each of Celtic’s last two league games.
Griezmann started in midfield and opened the scoring in the sixth minute after Celtic twice put themselves under pressure.
Joe Hart sliced a punch clear under no pressure following a corner and Callum McGregor headed a poor clearance straight to Griezmann.
The Frenchman shot from 20 yards and a deflection off Cameron Carter-Vickers took the ball out of Hart’s reach and into the bottom corner.
Palma forced a save with what would prove Celtic’s only effort on goal as they tried to respond and McGregor soon saved his side by blocking from Rodrigo Riquelme following a counter-attack.
The red card soon followed and, although Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved brilliantly from Morata’s sliced clearance, the rest of the game was an exercise in defending for Celtic.
Griezmann, twice, and Nahuel Molina threatened before the France international’s diagonal ball exposed Celtic in first-half stoppage time. Jose Maria Gimenez headed across goal for Morata to slide in and convert from close range.
The onslaught continued, even before the interval, when Hart saved from Angel Correa.
Rodgers brought on Oh Hyeon-gyu for Palma at half-time as he maintained his 4-3-2 formation throughout.
Griezmann continued to threaten on regular occasions and Gimenez headed off the bar before the Frenchman netted with a scissors kick on the hour mark after meeting Alistair Johnston’s headed clearance.
Substitute Lino took a step inside Johnston and curled in a brilliant fourth six minutes later.
Correa hit a post before Morata took a touch on the edge of the box and lashed a shot into the roof of the net in the 76th minute.
Celtic finished the game with a midfield of Turnbull, Odin Thiago Holm and Tomoki Iwata and they lost a scrappy goal in the 84th minute when Niguez finished from close range.
Their heaviest European defeat had come in Spain under Rodgers seven years ago and Atletico could not emulate that 7-0 victory amid further pressure.
[(Vissel Kobe) Strength]: 1. Taisei Miyashiro has scored 7 goals for Vissel Kobe in the J1 League this season, making him the team's top scorer.2. Daiju Sasaki has contributed 6 assists for Vissel Kobe this season and is the team's assist leader.3. Vissel Kobe have achieved a record of 7 wins and 2 draws in their last 9 official matches, demonstrating an outstanding form.4. Vissel Kobe have achiev...
[(Deportivo Toluca) Strength]: 1. Deportivo Toluca currently ranked third in Group A of the Leagues Cup. Facing New York City FC who are 13th-place in Group B, Deportivo Toluca, who performed better, are aiming for the three points, so they are motivated.2. Deportivo Toluca have many strong players, with Helinho and Alexis Vega leading the forward line, Marcel Ruiz and Ricardo Angulo anchoring the...
[(FC Tokyo) Strength]: 1. FC Tokyo forward Motoki Nagakura scored a goal in the last Emperor's Cup game, helping the team take the lead. So far, he scored in both the Emperor's Cup matches, showing stable performances in this tournament.2. FC Tokyo won 3-2 over Urawa Red Diamonds in the last league game, securing a winning streak of two competitive games, which revealed fit form.3. FC Tokyo scored...
[(Columbus Crew) Strength]: 1. Columbus Crew currently ranked fifth in Group B of the Leagues Cup. Facing Club Leon who are in 13th place in Group A, Columbus Crew are aiming for the three points and are full of fighting spirit.2. Columbus Crew striker Diego Rossi has scored two goals in the last two Leagues Cup matches, with high goal-scoring efficiency.3. Columbus Crew have remained unbeaten in ...
[(Tigres UANL) Strength]: 1. Tigres UANL have won both of their 2 group matches and are at the top of the group. However, they are only one point behind the teams behind them. The team still need points to consolidate their current position and have a strong motivation to grab points.2. Tigres UANL striker Angel Correa scored a brace in the last game, helping his team secure all three points. So f...
[(Mazatlan F.C.) Strength]: 1. Mazatlan F.C. are 2nd with 5 points in the table and still need points to secure a qualification spot, indicating strong motivation in this game.2. Nicolas Benedetti made 2 assists in a row in the last game, helping his teammates score.3. Mazatlan F.C. won 2-0 over Houston Dynamo in the last game. They received 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in the last 5 games, showing...
[(Hamrun Spartans F.C.) Strength]: 1. Hamrun Spartans F.C. were eliminated by FC Dynamo Kyiv in the previous stage of the Champions League qualifiers and can only compete for a Europa League spot at present. Facing Israeli giants Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C., Hamrun Spartans F.C. hope to strive for a win to lay a solid foundation for the second leg and are highly motivated.[(Hamrun Spartans F.C.) Weaknes...
[(Houston Dynamo) Strength]: 1. Starting forward Ezequiel Ponce scored 9 goals across all competitions this season, the top scorer of the team.[(Houston Dynamo) Neutral]: 1. The two teams met only once in the last 10 years, where Houston Dynamo drew 0-0 with Pachuca in the 2023 Leagues Cup.[(Houston Dynamo) Weakness]: 1. Houston Dynamo lost two games in the Leagues Cup, ranking at the bottom of th...
[(Malmo FF) Strength]: 1. As the traditional giants in the Allsvenskan, Malmo FF are now 4th in the league with stable performances this season. In this Champions League qualifier against F.C. Copenhagen, they will take home advantage to go all out.2. Malmo FF performed well in the league and the Champions League qualification lately. They have remained unbeaten since July, receiving 7 wins and 2 ...
[(PFC Ludogorets Razgrad) Strength]: 1. PFC Ludogorets Razgrad striker Ivaylo Chochev has scored in the last two matches. The player is in good form and is expected to start in this game.2. PFC Ludogorets Razgrad defeated FC Dobrudzha 2-1 in the last First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) match and have remained unbeaten in regular time in the last five games, with a commendable performance...
- 1 Bayern Munich confirm Palhinha "transfer negotiations" as Spurs move closer
- 2 TIPS - Real Salt Lake VS Atletico San Luis
- 3 Arsenal legend backs Premier League rivals to become next invincibles and take prestigious title from Gunners
- 4 Daily Laugh - Raya nair
- 5 Man Utd, Newcastle turn to Stuttgart striker Woltemade
- 6 Transfer rumors, news: Chelsea face dilemma over Simons
- 7 Real Madrid Willing to Sell Rodrygo — But Only If Two Key Conditions Are Met
- 8 Man United Go All In for Benjamin Sesko! Premier League Giants Notify RB Leipzig of Imminent Bid
- 9 TIPS - KFUM-Kameratene Oslo VS Rosenborg
- 10 TIPS - Karlsruher SC VS SC Preussen Munster