Diego Simeone praised Arsenal’s “incredible power” after his Atletico Madrid side was eliminated from the Champions League in the semi-finals. Despite a contentious penalty incident involving Antoine Griezmann, the Argentine coach refused to blame the authorities for his team’s 2-1 second-leg loss at the Emirates.
The Gunners advanced to the final with a hard-fought 1-0 win on the night, resulting in a 2-1 aggregate triumph, prompting Simeone to ponder on where his team fell short. Bukayo Saka’s goal on the stroke of halftime was enough to settle a tense second leg at the Emirates, and the Argentine coach was ready to admit that the better team improved over the 180 minutes of play.
“If we were eliminated, it’s because our opponent deserved to advance. They were clinical in the first half and earned their place. But what I feel is tranquillity, peace; the team gave everything they had,” Simeone stated.
“We came to compete against an incredibly powerful team, and with our own strengths, we fought as hard as we could. I’m grateful to our fans, our players, and I’m proud to be where I am. I said during preseason at the stadium that we were going to compete, and we did. Unfortunately, we didn’t win anything, that’s true, but we reached places that aren’t easy to reach.”
The match was not without its flashpoints, notably a challenge on Griezmann that left Atleti fans calling for a penalty. However, Simeone was adamant about not using the situation as a crutch. “I’m not going to dwell on something as simple and easy as the play involving Griezmann. It’s very clear, and we understand that it was a foul by Pubill on one of their players. We think he was right in that situation. I’m not going to dwell on it because that would be making excuses, and I don’t want to make excuses for anything,” he explained when questioned about the officiating.
Even when pushed further about the details of the match, Simeone maintained his stance, reinforcing his respect for the opponent’s progress. “There’s nothing more to say. We’re out. We congratulate Arsenal; they competed well,” he said. “They have a team and a manager [Mikel Arteta] that I like. They follow a consistent approach, with significant financial resources that allow them to compete like this. Congratulations. We’ll continue with our work, without getting bogged down in a detail of something that’s so obvious.”
Simeone also took a moment to laud the tactical setup and the growth of Arsenal under Arteta, albeit while touching upon the Gunners’ time-wasting tactics in the final minutes. He viewed it as a natural part of the game. “It’s part of football; we all know that when those minutes arrive, we want time to pass quickly. Arteta’s work is incredible, and they have significant financial resources related to the work they can do. I’m happy for them; they deserve it, they’ve been working very well,” he admitted.
