EINDHOVEN – Slovak football player Dávid Hancko opened his scoring account in Atlético Madrid on Tuesday and with his goal directed the Spanish club to an important triumph at PSV Eindhoven.
“Colchoneros” are in 8th place with twelve points after an incomplete sixth round and close to direct progress to the Champions League round of 16.
Twenty-seven-year-old Hancko arrived in Madrid in the summer from Feyenoord Rotterdam and was waiting until Tuesday for a precise intervention. He achieved it in the 52nd minute, when he remained in the penalty area after a set piece and promptly sent Nahuel Molina’s long-range shot into the net, which goalkeeper Matej Kovář only deflected in front of him.
“That goal was very important for me because I already had some chances, but I couldn’t score. It’s difficult to score in the Champions League, so I’m glad I managed to do it. It was the first for Atletico and straight away against PSV.” stated Hancko, who regularly fought with Eindhoven players during his three-year tenure at Feyenoord.
𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐨! 🇸🇰 The Slovakian international shot past Matěj Kovář and scored his first goal in the Atlético Madrid jersey in Eindhoven. 🎯#NovaSport | #UCL pic.twitter.com/nHnplbCL0y
— Nova Sport (@novasport_cz) December 9, 2025
The Slovakian representative made it 2:1 after Atlético had to turn around the unfavorable situation from the tenth minute. His goal was very important, he kicked the visitors and in the next four minutes, the Norwegian gunner Alexander Sörloth made it 3:1. In the end, the home team only mitigated the loss.
“It was a really difficult match. I knew it would be because they had already beaten big teams in the Champions League. I personally knew how difficult it is to play here, which was evident right from the start. But when we started to win matches, we weakened the pressure and then we scored goals and turned the duel in our favor. So I’m really happy for that.” he told the UEFA portal.
It was a very important victory
It was an important win for Atlético players, as after a seven-game winning streak in all competitions, they lost two tough duels in a row against Barcelona (1:3) and Bilbao (0:1).
“I was pleased with the goal, but much more with the points and the win. Not only for the LM table, because last week we had two tough losses against Barca and Bilbao. It was a very important victory.” added Hancko for the Dutch version of ESPN television.
Atlético stretched their winning streak in the Champions League to three and lost only against Liverpool and Arsenal after six matches. In Eindhoven, it achieved its first triumph outside, and with 12 points it has a good chance to advance directly to the round of 16. In the final two rounds, they will play on the pitch of Galatasaray Istanbul and welcome the Norwegian FK Bodö/Glimt at home.
“My team never once broke our plan and never once dropped the pressure we put on PSV. So I’m happy because it was 0-1 for them, then 3-1 for us and finally 3-2. It could have ended 3-3 or 4-2. It’s the Champions League and they haven’t lost since September.” said Atlético coach Diego Simeone.
PSV last lost to LM Royal Union 1:3 at home on September 16, since then they have gone on a streak of fourteen duels (11-3-0) without a loss.
“I think we didn’t play our best football today. They deserved to win because they controlled most of the game. We had a good start but the game broke after 30 minutes, from then on a lot of things went wrong. We didn’t have a player who could win aerial battles and we couldn’t collect the rebounds.” said home coach Peter Bosz.
Photo gallery for the article
Number of photos: 11
- Author: © List/
- VIDEO: X/Nova Sport
- Source: TASR
