Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said he was proud of how his team continued to struggle against the odds."I feel proud of the players I have," Simeone said. "I am happy to work with a team who gives life in every game, no matter how difficult the situation, or the hurdles in the path. They try and overcome them as they can. They played a great game.
"First half until sending off it was close to very, very good. Obviously in second half Barca knew how to manage the game, use the flanks, pinned us into our area and they created chances. I am very happy to be Atletico Madrid coach, as these players have the strength to keep defending the jersey as they have."
Pressed as to his thoughts on Brych sending off Torres for two quick heavy challenges, he said: "I am not annoyed with Torres, for sure. It is for others to evaluate the decisions, just like in the past. The referees are there to do their job, and we must just focus on the footballing part. I am not saying all that I could say."
Asked if Brych was more lenient when Barca striker Suarez clashed with Atletico's Juanfran and Filipe Luis and escaped with just one yellow, Simeone suggested he thought his team had been hard-done by.
"There were more than two incidents, but I will leave it at that," he added. "I cannot open my mouth and say what I think. I must be respectful to everyone, and the referee understood it in that way. We hope to do everything possible so we can make the semifinals."
Atletico go into next week's return game with an away goal, and Simeone said there would be optimism among his team's fans that they would be able to turn the situation around.
"We are still alive," he said. "They might have scored some more goals, with the extra man. They did not. So there will still be hope and excitement among Atletico fans going to the stadium. They know it will be a nice game for everyone -- fans and players. It will not be an easy game."
0 comments:
Post a Comment