Former Chelsea star Conor Gallagher was heavily involved on Wednesday night as Atletico Madrid were cruelly eliminated from the Champions League competition by close rivals Real Madrid.
It upset plenty of Blues fans when Conor Gallagher, who’s a product of the Chelsea academy, was sold at the start of the season. There’s no doubt that he’s fitted in superbly well so far during his debut season with Spanish outfit Atletico, though.
On Wednesday evening, Atletico hosted neighbours Madrid in the second leg of a last-16 Champions League tie, which they trailed 2-1 on aggregate from the first leg.
Even though Gallagher didn’t start in the first leg, the Englishman was named in the starting XI in midweek. Remarkably, he levelled up the tie by scoring inside the first minute of the second leg with a close-range finish.
In a game that Atletico edged, Gallagher was taken off near the end of the second half after an outstanding display. Unfortunately for him, the contest went all the way to a penalty shootout, which Real ended up winning to reach the quarter-finals.
Chelsea’s decision to sell Gallagher looks horrendous when you see him shining on the biggest European stage.
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Chelsea fans proud of Conor Gallagher’s Atletico Madrid display vs Real Madrid
Chelsea supporters on social media reacted to Gallagher’s performance in the Champions League with immense pride.
Here are Blues fans on X hailing the Cobham product…
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One fan wrote: “Conor Gallagher proving he’s a UCL-level player! Scored within 27 seconds, played LM but worked like a LWB—tracking back, pressing relentlessly, and showing incredible determination. No wonder Simeone wanted him. A huge performance on the big stage.”
“Conor Gallagher you’ve rocked my world. La Cobham,” another said.
One supporter posted: “Biggest game of Atletico Madrid’s season and Diego Simeone starts Connor Gallagher. Speaks volumes. Nice to see Cobham lads doing the business.”
“Happy to see Conor Gallagher doing so well with Atletico Madrid. Nice goal, always puts 110% in. Chelsea management should never have let him go!” another claimed.
Gallagher was part of an Atletico side that bowed out of the Champions League, but his stock has certainly risen with an eye-catching display. On top of his early strike, he was superb on and off the ball against Real.
Gallagher was desperate to join Atletico last summer when Chelsea decided to sell him.
The way that the box-to-box midfielder plays football with incredible intensity is the perfect fit for Atletico manager Diego Simeone. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Simeone was super keen to sign Gallagher last summer.
Photo by Pedro Loureiro/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Photo by Pedro Loureiro/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Conor Gallagher’s record-breaking performance in numbers
Gallagher underlined his quality with an all-action display in a memorable Madrid derby in Europe.
Minutes played Goals Accurate passes Tackles won Interceptions Duels won Duels lost Dribbled past Match rating
85 1 22/24 (92%) 1/1 (100%) 3 3 5 0 7.8
Conor Gallagher’s performance vs Real Madrid via FOTMOB
During the enthralling match, the tireless midfielder even managed to break a record as his early goal created a bit of history.
OptaJoe data claim that Gallagher’s goal for Atletico this week came after just 27 seconds, which is the fastest goal ever scored by an English player in Champions League history.
Even though Atletico are out of Europe, they’re still very much alive in the La Liga title race because they’re only a point behind leaders Barcelona.