Atletico Madrid 6-0 Celtic – Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata net braces in UEFA Champions League victory

Antoine Griezmann inspired Atletico Madrid to a 6-0 victory over 10-man Celtic which leaves them top of UEFA Champions League Group E, while Celtic are starring at a European exit.

Griezmann opened the scoring after just six minutes with a deflected shot from outside the box, before Daizen Maeda was shown a controversial red card which cranked up the difficulty level of Celtic’s task.

A wonderful Griezmann cross set up Atleti’s second goal, scored by Alvaro Morata, and Griezmann added the third via an acrobatic volley.

Substitute Samuel Lino made it 4-0 with a stunning strike, then set up Morata to grow the lead with another ferocious finish from the edge of the Celtic box. Saul scored the final goal from close range.

Unbeaten Atletico now sit atop Group E with eight points after four games. Celtic have just a lone point and must win both of their remaining matches to avoid finishing bottom.

Discussing VAR decisions is tedious, but when they influence games as much as this one it is unavoidable. Maeda was given a yellow card by the referee in real time, and even after watching several replays, that seemed the right decision. Only when he went to a pitchside monitor and was shown a still image suggesting Maeda went into the 50-50 with his studs up, did a red card look a possibility.

In reality, Maeda went into the challenge with his studs facing down and that still image was only possible because Mario Hermoso kicked through the ball and into the Celtic man. Both Owen Hargreaves and Martin O’Neill in the TNT Sports studio agreed it was not a red card – “exceptionally harsh” in the words of the ex-Celtic manager.

Down to 10 men for more than three-quarters of the match, Celtic stood little chance of salvaging anything.

Griezmann ran the show for Atletico and was everywhere. When the game was still 11 versus 11, for example, Griezmann made an excellent tackle and a big block deep in his own half.

When it was 11 versus 10 he could really show off. The cross for the second goal and his acrobatic own second goal were both outstanding pieces of play.

Atletico Madrid: Oblak 6, Molina 6, Gimenez 7, Witsel 6, Hermoso 6, Riquelme 7, Koke 6, Barrios 6, Griezmann 9, Correa 6, Morata 8. Subs: Llorente 6, Lino 8, Saul 6, Azpilicueta 6, Soyuncu 5.

Celtic: Hart 6, Johnston 5, Carter-Vickers 4, Scales 4, Taylor 4, O’Riley 5, McGregor 4, Bernardo 4, Maeda 5, Palma 5, Kyogo 5. Subs: Holm 4, Oh 4, Yang 4, Turnbull 4, Iwata 4.

6′ – GOAL! Atletico 1-0 Celtic (Griezmann): McGregor half-clears a cross but heads the ball straight to Griezmann, who shoots from just outside the box and sees his deflected effort nestle in the bottom corner, beyond Hart’s reach.

23′ – RED CARD! Maeda goes in the book after a firm 50-50 with Hermoso. He left his foot in, but the studs were down. However, a VAR review sends the referee over to the monitor and he changes his decision to a red card!

45+2′ – GOAL! Atletico 2-0 Celtic (Griezmann): Griezmann picks out Gimenez with a majestic cross from deep and the Uruguayan heads back across goal for Morata to convert sliding in.

60′ – GOAL! Atletico 3-0 Celtic (Griezmann): Llorente’s cross from the right is headed by a Celtic played to Griezmann, who acrobatically volleys beyond Hart.

66′ – GOAL! Atletico 4-0 Celtic (Lino): Lino cuts in from the left and curls a wonderful shot into the far corner! An instant impact from the sub.

76′ – GOAL! Atletico 5-0 Celtic (Morata): Lino chests a cross down for Morata and the striker takes one touch to set himself before smashing into the roof of the net with the second! Another brilliant goal and it’s 5-0.

84′ – GOAL! Atletico 6-0 Celtic (Saul): Llorente gets to the right byline and crosses for Lino. His shot is going wide, but runs to Saul who pokes home on the second attempt.

• Celtic have conceded 24 goals in their last four Champions League games in Spain.
• Griezmann has scored in three Champions League games in a row for the first time in his career.