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A narrow defeat in Milan leaves Atleti?s hopes alive. Atlético Madrid return to Spain with their tail between their legs after falling to a first leg defeat in the UEFA Champions League last 16, as Inter Milan ran out the 1-0 winners at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Tuesday night.
The Italian side deserved the victory with a superior display which saw them have a series of chances to take the lead, with Atlético clinging on to the game without registering a single shot on target for the first time since facing Manchester City in the same competition in April 2022. It was eventually Marko Arnautovi? who squeezed the ball in on the rebound with a scrambling Samuel Lino and Jan Oblak unable to clear. Here are four of the key talking points from the game.
1. Was this an acceptable defeat"
None of the travelling Colchoneros were hoping to come back from Milan with the scoreline in deficit, but there was also recognition that Inter were one of the toughest possible draws having topped the group stage of the Champions League. As such, this first leg was all about keeping the tie alive for the return leg in Madrid in March.
In that sense, this result isn?t a bad one. Atlético have struggled on the road this season but have been prolific at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano and will feel quietly confident that, despite not having threatened in Milan, they will be much more dangerous on home turf. Only...