Drama in the Andalusian capital
From the first whistle, the match at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán did not go the way the Madrid visitors had planned. Sevilla, driven by the passionate backing of their supporters, imposed tough conditions from the outset. Isaac Romero opened the scoring as early as the 12th minute after a miscommunication between Jan Oblak and his defenders at a free kick. Atletico tried to respond, but their attacks were predictable and easily read by Sevilla's well-organised backline.
Although Samuel Lino gave Atleti fans hope at the start of the second half by equalising, the final word belonged to Sevilla. In the 89th minute, Lucas Ocampos capitalised on confusion in the penalty area and hammered a fierce shot into the top corner to make it 2:1. The defeat is particularly painful as Atletico slipped to fourth place, losing direct contact with a Villarreal side pulling away above them.
Mental and physical problems
Many experts point out that Atletico are paying the price for an extremely demanding European campaign. A side once renowned for an iron-clad defence has already conceded more league goals this season than in the whole of the previous one. Diego Simeone faces the difficult challenge of rebuilding team morale ahead of decisive Champions League clashes, where the margin for error no longer exists.