Atletico Madrid’s Champions League defeat reveals the team's weak attack & fragile defense | OneFootball

Atletico collapse in Europe as wasteful finishing and fragile defence

Atletico Madrid’s Champions League defeat reveals the team's weak attack & fragile defense

Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt exposed finishing problems and unusual defensive weakness in the Champions League.

Atletico create chances but waste too many

Atletico Madrid suffered surprising 2-1 loss against Bodo/Glimt in Champions League and the match highlighted clear double problem for Diego Simeone’s team.

The Spanish side dominated the game in terms of attempts recording 27 shot with eight on target but managed to score only once.

The result showed the gap between Atletico’s control and their lack of goals.

Only 29.6% of their shots were on target. Out of the 27 effort, 12 missed the goal while seven were blocked leaving Atletico with little reward for their pressure.

Sorloth scores but misses many chances

Atletico’s only goal came through Alexander Sorloth who also missed seven other attempts despite scoring his fifth goal in seven matches in 2026.

Other attackers also failed to finish key chances. Julian Alvarez missed three shot, Nico Gonzalez wasted three more while Thiago Almada & Alex Baena also had efforts that did not trouble the goal.

Midfielder Pablo Barrios came close before half-time when his strike hit the post, a moment that summed up Atletico’s frustration in front of goal.

The match also included two disallowed Atletico goal, one for very tight offside call and another due to quick corner taken while play was stopped.

Oblak points to lack of calm

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak spoke honestly after the match saying the team are going through period where “the ball does not go in”.

He added that Atletico look anxious when chances arrive and lack calm in the final third.

Oblak said both midfielders and forwards need more composure to turn opportunities into goals especially under growing pressure for results.

Defensive issues growing in Europe

Atletico’s problems are not only in attack. They have now conceded 15 goal in eight Champions League matches this season, close to two per game.

The team have allowed at least one goal in every European match and the numbers make Atletico one of the weakest defensive sides among the last 16 team still in the tournament.

Oblak admitted that Atletico cannot continue to concede so often saying the team must improve in both defence and attack to get the results they want.

Simeone still shows confidence

Despite the disappointment, Simeone defended his players and said the team reacted well in many areas.

He insisted he had no complaints about effort and believes results will improve soon.

Atletico now waiting to learn their next opponent in the knockout phase, with Club Brugge or Galatasaray possible.

Simeone already spoken in recent weeks about the need for better defending to support attack that creates chances but does not always finish them.

Atletico’s numbers among the remaining teams

Atletico scored 17 goal ranking seventh among the remaining Champions League sides.

Teams such as Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain have all scored more.

The biggest concern is defensive, Atletico have conceded more goals than any other club still in the competition.