Atlético beaten by Bayern as Llorente points to costly errors

Atlético de Madrid lost 2-0 to Bayern at the Metropolitano in the fourth round of the Champions League, played on Tuesday, November 3. Both goals for the German side came in the second half. After the match, Atlético player Marcos Llorente discussed the defeat on Movistar Liga de Campeones, focusing on the mistakes he felt had turned the contest.

“Their first goal came from us; those details hurt,” he said. Llorente explained that his side had held up well before conceding: “We knew what to expect; it was going to be a very intense match. We were holding on well, but in the Champions League those details decide a game.” He described the opening goal as a blow after what he considered good defensive cover, and acknowledged that Atlético then struggled to respond.

Llorente also identified shortcomings in attack. In his view, Atlético lacked composure in the final metres, rushed the last pass and needed to be more aggressive in the penalty area. He nevertheless urged the team to move on: “It’s one match; we have to keep going. Another important game is coming this weekend.” He also stressed the team’s effort and said Bayern’s first goal did not come from a move they deserved, but from an Atlético mistake.

The result came as Bayern hold a strong position in their league campaign. The club leads the Bundesliga with 18 points after eight matches. It is unbeaten in that run, with five wins and three draws, and has scored 27 goals while conceding eight. Across its last five Bundesliga matches, Bayern has three wins and two draws. For Llorente, the task now is to recover from the defeat: “When you’re on a winning run, everything is different, but you can’t win all the time. After a defeat, you have to get back to winning.”