Madrid – The adventure in Europe continues for FC Rostov in UEFA Champions League. Having only earned a point against PSV Eindhoven in their first three matches, a road fixture against Atletico Madrid at Vicente Calderon Stadium surely would be a huge test.
Atletico got on the scoreboard first when a ball sent in from midfielder Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco was deflected backward and went to a wide-open Antoine Griezmann. The French forward reacted quickly and one touch volleyed the ball past keeper Soslan Dzhanayev to give Atletico Madrid a 1-0 lead.
The Rostov defenders were complaining for offside but the replay showed that captain Alexandru Gatcan was not on the same back-line with his teammates.
One minute later Rostov equalized when Dmitry Poloz fed a pass Sardar Azmoun. The Iranian striker easily put the ball past Slovenian keeper Jan Oblak to level the score at 1-1.
Azmoun – striker from Gonbad Kavus – continues to impress with his excellent finishing abilities.
The match remained tied at the half and deep into the second half. For a while it seemed as though maybe the underdogs from Rostov would leave Madrid with a point.
But a poor clearance from Gatcan in the fourth minute of stoppage time led to goal from Antoine Griezmann.
It was definitely tough for Rostov to lose 2-1 after coming so close to earning a draw against a powerhouse from La Liga but the runners-up from the Russian Premier League definitely can leave with their heads held high after putting up a fight at Vicente Calderon Stadium.
Iranian midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi, who played for Atletico Madrid’s C team in 2014-15, did not make an appearance off the bench for Rostov.
It has been a tough week for Rostov as they suffered a 1-0 loss away from home against Amkar on 29 October in the Russian Premier League.