Barcelona struck twice in stopping time on Sunday evening to condemn Atletico Madrid into a second heartbreaking defeat in the room of four days in the Metropolitano. Atletico -manager Diego Simeone, however, had little to blame for his players.
Simeone was asked in the first place to explain how the defeat came about, with Atletico Two Goasl to the good with twenty minutes to go.
“We congratulate our opponents with their decisiveness at the crucial moment. We have earned a very good result that did not last long, so we could strengthen our game. That 2-1 created energy, trust and more attacks from their part. We had the chance to manage it better on some counterattacks, but it ended with the intention; We did not choose the latter well. “
“The 2-2 came, the 2-3 came out of a casual shot, which is part of the game. Just when we won and moved in Barcelona, the mint fell to their advantage this time. “
The story in Spain was that this might have been a fatal blow to their title loop, with Barcelona and Real Madrid four points for them.
“Barca has one game in hand and we never know what could happen. They have a considerable advantage; We are aware of that. We take one game at the same time, focus on Espanyol and continue on that path until the end. “
Simeone complained about the fact that Atletico did not handle the restart of Barcelona well after their second goal, with Robert Lewandowski almost immediately returned to the Catalans. In his eyes, El Cholo was too slow to put Jose Maria Gimenez on the field.
“When we went 2-0, the game was in an important place. Their goal did not give me time, and it took me too long to start Gimenez. I should have done it before they kicked off, but they scored. We started talking and the second came. That does not mean that if he had come, it would not have happened, but the team needed strength. “
“It was clear that Barca, with their weapons and their great players, would take a chance. It worked well for them; We congratulate them. We could not be strong and neither can we benefit from the counterattacks, “he told Diario as.
He also rejected the idea that the exhaustion of their Champions League elimination to Real Madrid demanded his toll in the final phase.
“It has not been demonstrated because we have searched for new energy. The Paul came out of a knock in Getafe; He made an enormous effort on Wednesday, and today Julian felt unwell, with fever, and he played as you saw, incredible, responded and I can't ask more than what they give us. “
The focus of Atletico will shift to Espanyol, but the heads of many fans will take place on the second stage of their Copa del Rey Semi-Final with Barcelona only a few days later. After drawing the first stage 4-4 in Barcelona, it now seems their simplest route to a trophy, after what has largely been an impressive season.
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