Segunda B side Cornella pulled off a massive upset on Wednesday evening in the Copa del Rey by pulling off a 1-0 win against La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.
The result was all the more commendable given Cornella have lost their last three league games, including against the B teams of Espanyol and Barcelona, which means Atletico have lost to more third-tier teams than Primera teams since January 18th, 2020.
Cornella surged into the lead inside seven minutes through Adrian Jimenez, who was assisted by Agus Medina to open the scoring for the hosts.
Atletico’s defensive stalwart, Jose Maria Gimenez, was taken off at half time due to an injury to his left ankle, while Ricard Sanchez was issued a red cart in the 63rd minute to leave them fighting for an equaliser with ten men remaining.
Atletico boss Diego Simeone had said yesterday in his pre-match press conference that he expected to face a highly motivated and competitive team, and it looks like he got what he asked for.
Atletico still have a lot to fight for this season in both La Liga and the Champions League, but tonight’s defeat is certainly a slap in the face for the league leaders and a reminder to guard against complacency.