Simeone also suggested that Atletico eliminated Barcelona because his players put in a “huge effort” after going down 2-0.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has described Barcelona as an “extraordinary and incredibly speedy team”, despite the Catalan side being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-finals by his team on Tuesday night.
The Argentine tactician praised the visitors during his post-match interview after his side progressed to the semi-final stage of the European competition.
Lamine Yamal gave Barcelona the lead in the opening stages of the encounter before Ferran Torres doubled the visitors’ advantage in the second-leg tie played at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
However, Ademola Lookman pulled one back for the home side, with the match eventually ending in a 2-1 win for Barcelona on the night.
Despite the result, Hansi Flick’s men were eliminated via a 3-2 aggregate defeat, having lost 2-0 in the first leg at Camp Nou last week.
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Speaking after the game, Simeone suggested that his team knocked Barcelona out because his players put in a “huge effort” after falling two goals behind.
He added that Atletico managed to claw their way back into the tie by scoring and remaining calm throughout the duration of the clash.
“We faced a team that plays extraordinarily well, with incredible speed,” Simeone said.
He added: “They are hard to contain. We put in a huge effort after going down 0-2, despite individual mistakes, and we managed to get back into the game and stay calm. The goal to make it 1-2 was a great goal.”
Following their progression, Atletico Madrid will now await the winner of the quarter-final tie between Arsenal and Sporting in the semi-finals.
