There were hugely dramatic scenes at the end of Atletico Madrid's Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, with Yannick Carrasco missing a late penalty to keep the Spanish side in the competition.
With Porto pulling off a shock 4-0 win over group leaders Club Brugge, Atletico needed to beat Leverkusen to remain in the hunt for a top two spot in their group.
Diego Simeone's side fell behind to an early goal from Moussa Diaby but levelled through Belgium international Carrasco midway through the first half.
Advert
Chelsea loanee Callum Hudson-Odoi then restored the lead for Leverkusen, who went in at the break ahead.
Atletico levelled for a second time shortly after the interval through Argentina international Rodrigo De Paul.
But despite putting huge pressure on Leverkusen in the second half, Atletico appeared to run out of time - with referee Clement Turpin blowing the final whistle to signal the end of the game.
Advert
However, the drama was not over, with VAR instructing Turpin to review a handball decision that he had waved away in the closing moments of the match.
After consulting the pitchside monitor, the French referee decided to overrule his original decision and award Atletico a penalty, with the match restarting despite protests from Leverkusen.
But Atletico were unable to take advantage of their stroke of luck.
Advert
Carrasco stepped up but saw his penalty saved by Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
The ball rebounded out to Saul Niguez, who then struck the crossbar with a first-time header.
Remarkably, the ball bounce back into play but Reinildo Mandava's goalbound shot deflected off a Leverkusen defender and out for a corner, with the visitors somehow hanging on for an improbable 2-2 draw.
Atletico supporters on social media were in disbelief at the end of the match.
Advert
"Man it's time for Simeone to go as much as I love him," posted one fan on Twitter.
While another wrote: "What did the fans do to deserve this?"
The result means Atletico are now four points adrift of second-place Porto, who themselves are now just a point behind group leaders Brugge after thrashing the Belgian side.
Advert
Atletico are now in a battle for third place with Leverkusen, who are only a point behind the Spanish side with one round of fixtures left.
Atletico travel to face Porto on November 1, while Leverkusen host Brugge that same night.
Featured Image Credit: BT SportTopics: Atletico Madrid, Football, Champions League, Bayer Leverkusen, La Liga
