Atletico Madrid substitute Alvaro Morata scored a late second half header to give his team a 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen yesterday and send them top of their Champions League Group D.
In a game of few chances and many mistakes neither team came close to breaking the deadlock before Morata scored with a powerful downward header from a Renan Lodi cross in the 78th minute, giving his team a major boost for a top two finish and a spot in the knockout stages.
The Spaniards, unbeaten now in three group games, are on seven points, three ahead of Italy’s Juventus, who play third-placed Lokomotiv Moscow late last night. The Germans, without a point, are in last place and all but eliminated in the run for a spot in the last 16. Atletico, who have now failed to score during the first half in their last six Champions League matches, lacked spark and intensity in the first half, with Leverkusen in control in midfield. The visitors gradually started finding pockets of space with Kevin Volland and Kerem Demirbay but they also were missing the final pass.
Lodi completed a quickfire move with a fine first touch and shot to test Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky in a rare Atletico attack in the first half. The game picked up the pace after the break with the hosts becoming more aggressive and Diego Costa in front of goal narrowly missing to connect with a Kieran Trippier cross. Morata did it better in the 78th when he headed in Lodi’s cross for the winner.
Shakhtar hold 
adventurous Dinamo to thrilling 2-2 draw
Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk scraped a 2-2 home draw against Dinamo Zagreb after the Ukrainian side took the lead and then came from behind in a pulsating Group C clash. 
The result left both sides on four points from three games, two adrift of leaders Manchester City who were at home to Italian rivals Atalanta in the evening fixture.
Yevheniy Konoplyanka fired Shakhtar into a 16th-minute lead when he took a sublime pass from Brazilian-born midfielder Marlos into his stride and steered the ball past Dinamo keeper Dominik Livakovic from a tight angle.
The home side’s joy was short-lived, however, as the Croatian champions levelled nine minutes later when Spaniard Dani Olmo beat goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov to a Mislav Orsic cross and tucked the ball in at the near post.
Orsic hit the woodwork after a dazzling solo run from deep inside his own half in the 49th minute before he gave Dinamo the lead on the hour as Shakhtar conceded a bizarre penalty. Pyatov needlessly wrestled striker Mario Gavranovic to the ground as a corner was swung in and after a quick VAR check, Orsic blasted the spot-kick into the top corner.
Shakhtar got their equaliser in the 75th minute when Alan Patrick released Dodo with a defence-splitting pass and the second-half substitute rounded Livakovic before driving the ball home past two defenders on the line. Olmo missed a chance to grab a late winner for the visitors as he raced down the right flank and hit the outside of the post with a fizzing low shot.