Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has expressed frustration over what he perceives as biased officiating that contributed to his team's elimination from the FIFA Club World Cup, despite securing a 1-0 victory against Brazilian side Botafogo on Monday.
The French international, who scored the match's only goal, claimed that referees had unfairly influenced the tournament outcome for Atletico Madrid.
"We're angry because we wanted more. We had enough time to score and win," Griezmann stated in his post-match interview. "Clearly the referees went against us in this tournament, but sometimes they favor us and we don't say anything. It's more of a football issue inside our team."
Diego Simeone's side needed at least a 2-0 victory against Botafogo to advance to the Round of 16. Despite finishing with 6 points in Group B—the same as Botafogo and Paris Saint-Germain—Atletico Madrid was eliminated on goal difference, recording a minus one goal differential that placed them third in the group standings.
The elimination comes as a significant disappointment for the Spanish side, who had hoped to make a deeper run in the prestigious global club competition.
Meanwhile, eight teams have already secured their spots in the Round of 16 as the tournament progresses without the Madrid outfit.
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