Atlético de Madrid went into the game determined to win by three goals against Botafogo, the Copa Libertadores champions and the last team to beat Luis Enrique's PSG. However, Diego Simeone's side struggled to impose themselves, despite their excellent technical level, and ended up succumbing to a last-minute victory.
At a Rose Bowl that was far from full, Botafogo were not afraid of Atleti's initial pressure and scored with a 4-3-3 formation similar to the one used against the French side. Jefferson Savarino, one of the Rio de Janeiro team's main technical references, had a chance to finish with his left foot, but his low shot was saved by Jan Oblak.
However, the overconfidence shown by Botafogo began to get in the way, and Atlético de Madrid gradually grew into the game offensively due to considerable lapses in possession and passing by the defensive players. Rodrigo De Paúl was the most competent of the Atleti players on the pitch, but Julian Álvarez failed to take advantage of his best chance of the game when he hit the outside of the post after spinning and finishing across goal.
Urgently needing goals while PSG were already beating Seattle Sounders, Atlético de Madrid tried to press with a 4-2-4 after Griezmann came on in place of Gallagher, but the World Cup winner with France failed to make the impact they had hoped for. Simeone's side's pressure began to work more effectively when Ángel Correa came off the bench.
However, Atlético de Madrid didn't make the most of their momentum and showed a considerable drop in fitness as the game drew to a close, and Botafogo's substitutions were very effective in improving the team. Shortly before the end, Antoine Griezmann finally made an impact when he finished off a move from the right into the box alone to open the scoring, but it was too late to look for goals.
Atlético de Madrid has yet another big failure this season
Atlético de Madrid never came close to qualifying for the round of 16 and seemed to have taken the Club World Cup too lightly from the start. Finally, Diego Simeone's club can take a vacation, even if it means another considerable embarrassment.