Levante vs Atletico Madrid. Spanish La Liga.
Ciutat de ValenciaAttendance11,806.
Sunday 8 May 2016 21:49, UK
Giuseppe Rossi scored a last-minute winner as relegated Levante came from behind to end Atletico Madrid's Primera Division title hopes with a 2-1 win.
Fernando Torres gave Atletico the lead early on, but Victor's 30th-minute header levelled before Italian forward Rossi fired home from the edge of the box at the death.
Barcelona's 5-0 victory against Espanyol leaves Atletico three points behind the defending champions with one game to play and unable to overtake them because of the head-to-head results between the two teams.
Diego Simeone's men can still reclaim second spot from neighbours - and Champions League final opponents - Real Madrid, should results go for them on the final weekend of the season.
The day started positively for the Argentinian head coach when Torres produced an excellent effort to open the scoring inside two minutes.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea striker collected the ball from Koke on the edge of the area before perfectly executing a lobbed finish over Levante goalkeeper Diego Marino for his 11th goal of the season.
Atletico were full of confidence going into the game on the back of six straight league wins and their success in Europe.
But they were almost pegged back in the 12th minute when Verza latched on to a pass and produced a powerful drive from 18 yards which was kept out by Jan Oblak.
The hosts continued to push for an equaliser and drew level with half an hour played.
Colombian forward Mauricio Cuero produced a precise ball into the Atletico box and striker Victor rose above the defenders to steer a header into the top right corner.
Atletico went in level at the break and, with both Barca and Real both ahead, knew they would have to push for a winner in the second half.
Simeone, serving the second game of a three-match touchline ban, took immediate action, introducing top scorer Antoine Griezmann and Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco in place of Argentinian duo Angel Correa and Augusto Fernandez.
In spite of the positive substitutions, the away side were struggling to regain the advantage.
Carrasco fired over from distance before Griezmann threatened twice.
The France forward saw his shot towards the left corner turned behind for a corner by Marino before again being denied by the keeper after latching on to a defence-splitting pass.
The home side replaced goalscorer Victor with Rossi 11 minutes from time and the change paid dividends in the final moments.
A Levante breakaway culminated in the Fiorentina loanee collecting the ball around 20 yards from goal and he calmly found the bottom left corner with his left foot to score his sixth goal for the Spanish side.
The Rojiblancos had little time to find a way back into the game and the full-time whistle signalled the end of their championship challenge and a first win in four for the hosts.