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Bitter farewell for Atlético in the Club World Cup: no miracle, no refereeing justice

Atlético Madrid packed their bags for the Club World Cup with more frustration than football. They needed an epic win against Botafogo to sneak into the round of 16, but they only managed a 1-0 victory that served no purpose other than to gloss over their elimination. Although they dominated possession and created chances, Cholo Simeone's side failed to find the goal with the urgency and conviction that the fixture demanded. To make matters worse, Mexican referee Pacheco Lario denied the Colchoneros two clear penalties, which sparked anger on the Rojiblanco bench and among much of the fanbase.

From the start, the script for the match went awry. Julián Álvarez and Sorloth were chosen to lead the attack, with Griezmann on the bench to rest. The idea was to bring pace and dynamism up front, but Botafogo did not make it easy for them. Far from sitting back and defending, the Brazilian side attacked with players such as Alex Telles and Allan. In fact, Oblak had to make a miraculous save in a one-on-one with Savarino after just a few minutes. Atlético, somewhat stuck in their build-up play, looked for gaps without much clarity and with little success.

The first half was marked by two highly controversial incidents. Julián fell in the area after a sharp cut, but the referee waved play on without hesitation. The replay clearly showed the contact. Shortly afterwards, Pablo Barrios was fouled on the edge of the area, but this was also ignored. And worse still, news came in from the other game in the group confirming what everyone feared. PSG were already beating Seattle Sounders. The only way to stay alive was to win by a landslide, and with every passing minute it became more and more unrealistic.

Griezmann came on after the break and changed the team's attacking tone. The pressure increased, they pushed higher up the pitch and created some clear chances, such as a header from Sorloth that went wide. But there was no freshness. No legs, no spark. Just nerves and anxiety. VAR had another surreal moment when Julián was clearly brought down in the area again, but the referee, after reviewing the play, decided to rule it out due to a previous foul by Sorloth. Simeone exploded.

As the minutes passed, Botafogo closed up shop and Atleti began to desperately lob balls into the box. Koke and Correa came on in the final stretch to shake things up, and it was the Argentine who assisted Griezmann for the only goal of the match, which served to break his scoring drought (he had gone 18 games without scoring). But it was too late. There was no time for more. No time for another goal, no time for miracles.

Atlético are eliminated with six points, victims of the initial beating they took from PSG and some refereeing that left a lot to be desired against Botafogo. The statistics will show that they won two games, but the reality is that they leave the tournament with a feeling of failure. It's time to reflect. The season is still long, but what happened in the United States has left a scar.