Atletico held at Levante, miss chance to move clear in third
MADRID (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid squandered a chance to all-but secure their place in next season's Champions League group stage when they needed Fernando Torres to come off the bench and rescue a 2-2 draw at La Liga strugglers Levante on Sunday. After fourth-placed Valencia drew 2-2 at Real Madrid on Saturday, a win for the champions would have propelled them six points clear in third with two games left but they slipped up against a team fighting for their top-flight status. David Barral tapped in at the far post in the 32nd minute to put 14th-placed Levante ahead at their Ciutat de Valencia stadium before Guilherme Siqueira levelled with a smart volley three minutes later. Atletico fell behind again in the 63rd minute when Kalu Uche bundled the ball over the line and Torres secured a point when he nodded powerfully home following a corner 10 minutes from time. Atletico have 77 points from 36 matches, with Valencia on 73 in fourth, which carries a berth in qualifying for Europe's elite club competition. Leaders Barcelona (90 points) are on the brink of a fifth title in seven years after they won 2-0 at home to Real Sociedad on Saturday to stretch their advantage over Real Madrid (86) to four points.
