Diego Simeone praised his Atletico Madrid players despite dropping points in the Laliga title race after their 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Saturday.
Visiting forward Gerard Moreno scored a penalty to open the scoring for Villarreal before replacement Samuel Lino brought the game home just before the hour mark.
Atletico dominated for much of the match, registering 20 shots to their opponents' 11, while also enjoying 58.9% possession at the Metropolitano.
The hosts finished the match with an expected goals (XG) 1.55 from their attempts, compared to Villarreal's 2.23, with Moreno's spot-kick their only effort on target.
Despite the setback, Atletico have now taken 16 points from losing positions in Laliga 2024-25, the most of any team in Europe's top five leagues this season.
Simeone's side now sit second in the standings, although the Atletico boss was pleased with his team's display despite not taking their chances during the encounter.
“I think we are pretty much in control throughout the game. We played with the right attitude and dedication, aiming to win the game,” Simeone told Movistar Plus.
“The first half went quite well. They had the penalty and little more.
“In the second half we played against a team that defended well, with many players and in an organized way, waiting for counter-attacks because they have a lot of fast players, and they take advantage of that speed.
“We found an equalizer and we continued to play the way we wanted, going forward. We had more than one situation where we could have won the game. But it wasn't to…”
Simeone's attention now turns to the Champions League, with their final match of the league stage coming against Red Bull Salzburg next Wednesday, with the hope of cementing their place in the automatic qualifying places for the knockout stages.
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