Atletico Madrid, the club of South Korean national team midfielder Lee Kang-in, 25, salvaged a point on the road in Germany despite playing a man down. Lee, however, did not get onto the pitch.
Atletico drew 1-1 with Stuttgart in the third match of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League league phase at MHP Arena in Germany on the 20th. The club's six-match winning streak in official competition ended there.
With four points from one win, one draw and one loss and a goal difference of plus-one, Atletico sat 15th among the 36 teams.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, moved up to third with two wins and a draw for seven points, placing the German side inside the automatic qualification zone for the round of 16.
In this season's Champions League league phase, all 36 teams play eight matches each. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, while the teams ranked ninth through 24th enter a playoff round to compete for the remaining berths. The result leaves Atletico, which urgently needs points from its remaining five matches, with reason for regret.
Lee, who started against Espanyol in Spain's La Liga over the weekend, was named among the substitutes but was not brought on. It was the first time this season that Lee was left out of the starting lineup in a Champions League match and then failed to get any playing time at all.
The home side broke the deadlock first. In the 36th minute, Jamie Leweling struck a long-range shot from outside the penalty box that grazed the hands of goalkeeper Jan Oblak and found the net.
Trailing 1-0 at the break, Atletico brought on Ademola Lookman at the start of the second half to strengthen the attack, and the substitution paid off within two minutes. Julian Alvarez took a pass from Lookman and completed the equalizer with a left-footed shot. It was the first goal of the season for Alvarez, who had drawn criticism from fans for pushing for a move to FC Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
Atletico's push for a comeback was cut short by a sending-off. In the 64th minute, midfielder Morten Hjulmand caught Angelo Stiller on the leg while attempting a tackle in a challenge, and the referee immediately produced a red card. Atletico then abandoned its attacking options and sent on a defender to shore up the back line. The side withstood Stuttgart's sustained pressure to the end and held on to the point.
On the same day, FC Porto of Portugal, the club of key national team midfielder Hwang In-beom, 30, went down 0-1 at home to PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands. Porto, which has now lost three straight in the league phase, dropped to 33rd among the 36 teams. PSV, which registered its first win, jumped to 16th with four points and a goal difference of zero.
Hwang, who started on the bench, came on for Gabriel Veiga in the 58th minute with his side trailing 0-1 and stayed on the pitch until the final whistle.