Diego Simeone: 'Football doesn't forgive'
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has congratulated Barcelona, acknowledging their fortune in the game, stating: "They had that dose of luck, which you also need. We missed opportunities in counter-attacks. They are a great team, and we just have to keep working."
He continued, "I don’t think fatigue showed because we brought in fresh energy with substitutions. Rodrigo made a great effort. Julian was sick with a fever, but he played as best as he could. I can’t ask for more from them."
Simeone added, "The 2-0 lead shouldn’t have been 2-0. They scored right after the restart, and that gave them a boost of confidence. Against a strong team like Barcelona, that’s when the fear sets in. You can’t counter-attack, and they quickly equalised. We just need to keep going."
Looking ahead, he said, "We need to keep fighting. There’s still a great chance to reach a final again. It will be tough, but we’ll fight until the end. There are 10 games left, and others will face each other. If we have a chance in the final five games, we will give everything to get there."
Simeone reflected on his own decisions during the match: "Everything was going well, and I delayed bringing on Gimenez. I should’ve done it sooner. Football doesn’t forgive. I make self-criticism. Maybe if I’d made the change earlier, we wouldn’t have conceded two goals, but the game was calling for it, and I didn’t have time."
He concluded, "Now, we need to rest and focus on Espanyol. We must accept what we have."
