Harsh reflection from Cholo Simeone after Atlético Madrid’s elimination against Borussia Dortmund – – 2024-04-18 17:15:53

This Tuesday, Atlético Madrid lost 4-2 against Borussia Dortmund and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The Spanish team fell in Germany after coming back from 0-2 down and with 20 minutes remaining with the tie they were getting into the semifinals. But in the end the Germans were forceful. After the match, the coach of the Colchonero team, Diego Simeone, analyzed what happened and recognized the superiority of his rival.

“The team tried to take a game to the end that was the opposite of what we wanted. Not to mention in the Metropolitano match, the situations we had to direct the result a little better. Here when the game starts the same thing happens. We also had Correa’s,” explained Cholo.

He also praised the level of the Teutons and their merit to win. “They pressed very well at 2-2 and won the game fairly because they were more forceful in the areas. That was the key because the game marked that. At the beginning they had one, we took it, we had another, it couldn’t have been a goal. The ones they had finally ended up scoring. After 2-2 the attacks they had were goals. You have to congratulate them,” he admitted.

“Our players have done a tremendous job to be able to compete. We have gotten here giving our best,” she noted. Regarding the changes he made in the starting eleven for this match compared to the first leg, he responded: “We started the match with Azpilicueta, with his experience greater than that of Riquelme, who obviously was not going to offer us attacking situations, but we were able to control the left side of the attack (rival) because the truth is that on the left side we don’t suffer as much. We suffer much more on the right side. That meant that, in the second half, with Azpilicueta and Álvaro’s yellow, we needed a little more movement with Correa. Barrios entered well. Riquelme, with the game going we went from less to more than we imagined. We reached that tie. We had that situation with Ángel (Correa), a shame because it was an extraordinary play. And then came their great response,” he analyzed.

The 53-year-old coach highlighted his team’s lack of forcefulness: “I take away all the situations we created in these two games. We did not have the necessary forcefulness in the offense that we could have generated. For example, that play by Lino in which the goalkeeper makes a fantastic save, that by Ángel (Correa), which was stolen by Hummels in the first leg.”

Although he did not dramatize and maintained: “This is football and we must congratulate the rival. We competed the best way we could. Now let’s keep thinking about La Liga.” Finally, when asked for a message from the people, he maintained: “There is not much to say. When you lose and they make a huge trip and effort to be with us. We were able to get closer on the scoreboard. We were close to tying the game. But later they were superior and when that is the case they should be congratulated.”

Atlético Madrid was left out after winning the first leg 2-1. Today they started losing and managed to partially draw 2-2. But in the last 20 minutes, Borussia Dortmund was a storm and won 4-2, an advantage that allowed them to turn the series around and qualify for the semifinals. They will seek their second consecration in the Champions League after the one obtained in the 1996/1997 season.