Atletico Madrid stunned Inter Milan with a dramatic 93rd-minute winner from captain Jose Maria Gimenez, ending the Italian side’s perfect start to the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season. The late goal lifted Atletico to ninth place in the group, while Inter’s unbeaten run was brought to an abrupt halt.

First Half: Alvarez Gives Atletico the Lead

The match in Madrid began with Inter pressing early. Federico Dimarco tested Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso from a free-kick and fired a dangerous shot across goal, signaling the visitors’ attacking intent.

Despite Inter’s early dominance, it was the home side who struck first. A cross from Atletico led to a clearance attempt by Carlos Augusto, which deflected off Alex Baena, setting up Julian Alvarez to score his 10th Champions League goal in just 14 appearances since joining from Manchester City.

Initially ruled out for handball by referee Francois Letexier, the goal was reinstated after a VAR review, marking only the second goal conceded by Inter in this season’s European campaign.

Inter Milan Respond

The Serie A side pressed for an equaliser before halftime, with Dimarco narrowly missing the top corner and Hakan Calhanoglu forcing a fine save from Musso. Despite their dominance in possession, Inter went into the break trailing 1-0.

The second half saw Inter maintain their intensity. Nicolo Barella struck the crossbar after a well-controlled ball into the box, while Dimarco was denied once more by Musso. Their persistence paid off in the 54th minute when Piotr Zielinski slotted home, assisted by Ange-Yoan Bonny, leveling the score at 1-1.

Gimenez’s Last-Gasp Winner

With the game heading for a draw, substitute Antoine Griezmann delivered a corner in stoppage time, which Gimenez met with a powerful header to secure the 2-1 victory for Atletico Madrid. Yann Sommer made crucial saves throughout the match, denying Griezmann and Marc Pubill, but could not prevent Gimenez’s late strike.

Player Ratings Highlights

• F. Dimarco (Inter Milan): 9.5 – standout performer
• J. Alvarez (Atletico Madrid): 6.3 – decisive opening goal
• J. Gimenez (Atletico Madrid): 5.78 – match-winning header
• A. Griezmann (Atletico Madrid): 6.09 – provided crucial assist

Champions League Group Standings

The win moves Atletico Madrid up to 12th in the group with 9 points, while Inter Milan drops to fourth place, level on 12 points with Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid, intensifying the battle for knockout-stage qualification.

What’s Next?

Atletico Madrid:

• La Liga: vs Real Oviedo, Saturday 29 November, 20:00 GMT
• Champions League: vs Monaco, Tuesday 9 December, 20:00 GMT

Inter Milan:

• Serie A: vs Pisa, Sunday 30 November, 14:00 GMT
• Champions League: vs Liverpool, Tuesday 9 December, 20:00 GMT at San Siro