Joao Felix appeared to ask Yannick Carrasco if he could take the penalty
Joao Felix wanted to take Atletico Madrid‘s last-gasp penalty in their dramatic 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday evening.
Yannick Carrasco missed a 99th-minute spot kick, as the Spanish giants were dumped out of the Champions League. Diego Simeone‘s side needed to beat Leverkusen in Madrid to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages of this season’s tournament.
Felix was filmed talking to Carrasco before the decisive miss and he appeared to say to his team-mate “I’ll shoot it”. The Portuguese talent, who is yet to confirm his desire to take the penalty, looked devastated after Carrasco wasted the must-score opportunity.
Carrasco’s miss will forever be remembered as one of the most dramatic moments in Champions League history. The Belgian blasted his effort straight at goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky before Atletico midfielder Saul Niguez hit the crossbar with the follow up.
The ball then fell to another Atletico player, this time defender Reinildo Mandava, but his low drive deflected off Carrasco and went over the bar. French referee Clement Turpin blew the final whistle once the ball was out of play, ending a dramatic few seconds.
Atletico would’ve moved within two points of second-place Porto in Group B with a win against Leverkusen. They could’ve then qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League by beating Porto in their final group game, yet that dream is now over.
Instead, Atletico must beat Porto to guarantee their place in the Europa League. If they fail to do so, Leverkusen can leapfrog them into third by beating Club Brugge in their final group match. Belgian side Brugge have already progressed, of course.
Atletico were expected to reach the knockout rounds of the Champions League when the draw was conducted at the beginning of the season, as neither Brugge, Porto nor Leverkusen are regarded among the favourites to win the prestigious competition.
Yet their failure to beat Brugge and Leverkusen on home soil has cost them dearly. It’s proving to be a tricky season for Simeone’s side. They’re already eight points behind leaders Real Madrid in the LaLiga title race and five behind Barcelona in second.
[Source: mirror.co.uk]