Atleti misses chance to pull away in 3rd with draw
Print Edition
ATLETICO Madrid squandered a chance to all-but secure its place in next season’s UEFA Champions League group stage when Fernando Torres had to come off the bench to rescue a 2-2 draw at La Liga struggler Levante yesterday.
After fourth-placed Valencia drew 2-2 at Real Madrid on Saturday, a win for the champion would have propelled it six points clear in third with two games left but it slipped up against a team fighting for its top-flight status.
David Barral tapped in at the far post in the 32nd minute to put 14th-placed Levante ahead at its Ciutat de Valencia stadium before Guilherme Siqueira levelled with a smart volley three minutes later.
Atletico fell behind again in the 63rd when Kalu Uche bundled the ball over the line and Torres secured a point when he nodded powerfully home following a corner 10 minutes from time.
“We knew what it means to play here, where Levante are very strong,” Siqueira told Spanish television.
“In this final part of the season every point is crucial,” added the Brazilian. “We have two games left to make sure of the third spot that we want.”
Atletico has 77 points from 36 matches, with Valencia on 73 in fourth, which carries a berth in qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition.
Leader Barcelona (90 points) is on the brink of a fifth title in seven years after it won 2-0 at home to Real Sociedad on Saturday to stretch its advantage over Real Madrid (86) to four points.
This weekend’s matches are being played under the cloud of a possible strike orchestrated by the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) and the players’ union (AFE) due to a dispute over a new law on collective bargaining for the sale of television rights.
The two organizations, who complain the law does not take their interests sufficiently into account, have threatened to halt games from May 16, meaning the last two La Liga match days and the Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao are under threat.
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