Club Brugge 0 Atletico Madrid 0: Simeone's men miss out on top spot

Club Brugge put on a spirited display to hold Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw in Group A, costing the visitor top spot.

Atletico Madrid was held to a goalless draw by Club Brugge in Belgium. 

Atletico Madrid was pipped to top spot in Champions League Group A by Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday as it was held to a goalless draw by Club Brugge in Belgium. 

The Spanish outfit needed a win to guarantee first place, or hope that Dortmund did not win in Monaco.

As it happened

But Dortmund triumphed 2-0 in the principality as Atleti drew a blank against a lively Brugge side, which very nearly snatched victory 15 minutes from time when substitute Luan Peres had a header saved by the foot of Jan Oblak.

Griezmann fails to make impact

Antoine Griezmann saw Brugge goalkeeper Ethan Horvath make a superb stop to deny him with Atleti's best chance of the game in the first half.

Despite Brugge's fate being settled, they contributed to a fantastic pace at the start of the match, although the first real opening fell to their visitor, with Thomas Partey denied by Horvath from 12 yards.

Stefano Denswil then fizzed a right-footed strike just wide of the left-hand upright at the other end, before Saul Niguez cut the ball back agonisingly behind Thomas Lemar with Horvath beaten. 

Lois Openda’s appeals for a penalty on only his third start for the club rightly fell on deaf ears after he went down softly under pressure from Francisco Montero, and Oblak was equal to a curling Denswil free-kick after 24 minutes. 

Horvath had to be alert a minute later to expertly tip over Griezmann's dipping strike – a fantastic save that even earned praise from the France international. 

The energy of the first half disappeared after the break and Atleti frustrations grew as the Brugge defence refused to allow Griezmann to make an impact.

And Peres almost secured a memorable victory for the home side when he met Ruud Vormer's cross with a downward header, only for Oblak's well-placed boot to get in the way, with the ball then bouncing behind off the Brugge player.

Atleti's desperation saw Koke resort to an ambitious shot from distance that missed the target, and substitute Angel Correa failed to get the telling touch in a goalmouth scramble two minutes from time.