Atletico pays tribute to grieving captain

MADRID — Atletico Madrid players dedicated the team's 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Champions League to team captain Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion, whose mother died on Tuesday morning.

Pablo Barrios scored less than a minute into the game and immediately paid tribute to Koke by holding up six fingers in a reference to the captain's No 6 jersey.

After Atletico's second goal, scored by Ademola Lookman in the second half, Marcos Llorente held up Koke's jersey to the crowd, which cheered and applauded.

Atletico said Koke's mother, Ana Merodio Borja, died early Tuesday in Madrid. The club did not provide a cause of death.

"Of course, today was a very difficult day for the whole team," Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak said. "I can only imagine how hard it has been for Koke and his family. It was a tough day to play. In the end, it's something so sad and significant that you don't forget it just because you are on the field. Even though we won, I'm not thinking much about soccer, I'm thinking about Koke."

Koke, who was set to make his 750th appearance with Atletico, did not play in the league-phase match at Metropolitano Stadium. He was replaced by the United States midfielder Johnny Cardoso.

"We missed (Koke) today," Cardoso said. "We know it's a very difficult moment. May God comfort his family during this moment. They know that we are here to support them."

UEFA authorized a moment of silence before the game at the Metropolitano, and Atletico's players wore black armbands.

A moment of silence was also observed ahead of Atletico's youth league match. Koke's brother, Borja, is an assistant coach of Atletico's under-19 squad.

"The loss of a family member of a player as important as Koke obviously hurt, but the players played a great match," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.

The club's flag outside the Metropolitano was flying at half-mast throughout the day.

Barrios' goal was the second-fastest scored by an Atletico player in the Champions League behind Conor Gallagher's 28-second goal against Real Madrid in the round of 16 in 2025, according to UEFA.

AP