Simeone has been honest about his side's defeatplaceholder image
Simeone has been honest about his side's defeat | Getty Images
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has been speaking after his side’s Champions League defeat to Arsenal.
Gabriel Magalhaes scored in the 57th minute, then Gabriel Martinelli scored to make it two before Viktor Gyokeres put the game firmly beyond reach with a much-needed brace after a slow start in front of goal for the Gunners.
The win means Arsenal have made it three wins from as many games in the Champions League, while Atletico have now won once and lost twice. There are still five games remaining in the league phase, so it’s hardly panic stations from Atletico, who did make this a close contest until that wild 13 minutes that saw them slip quickly out of the picture.
"They were superior and very decisive in that part of the match,” Atleti boss Simeone said after the game. “After the set piece goal, things went their way with merit. They demanded our all until the 1-0 lead. The team worked well, ran, and were overtaken by a team that was better."
He added on the key moments in the game: "Julian's (Alvarez) shot went wide of the post in the first half. Small details that could have turned the game around for us. But the opponent is very strong in all lines; overall, everyone runs, and that takes away time to think. Up until the first goal, we were comfortable with the game, and in that 13-minute stretch, they were decisive."
Arsenal opened the scoring through a set-piece when Declan Rice delivered the ball perfectly for Gabriel. "I've always loved set pieces, and there are teams that work them very well,” Simeone admitted. “They have incredible value in every game. When you break the game open with a set piece, you've come a long way."
Gyokeres on his brace
Gyokeres hasn’t had much luck in front of goal for Arsenal since arriving in the summer, scoring three times in eight league appearances, and he has only scored in two league games. But the Sweden international looked like the lethal striker Arsenal want him to be against Atleti, scoring twice, and he was delighted after the game.
“I am very pleased,” he told Prime Video. “They had some good opportunities but I think we controlled it overall. To score four and keep a clean sheet again is very good. We always keep going. We do the things right when we defend and when we get the chances we are extremely strong in taking those.
"Both [my] goals were great. I try to do my best all the time and work hard, contribute with different stuff and the goals would have come sooner or later. We want to do well, we want to win football matches but there's a long journey to go. We will take it game-by-game, even if that sounds boring."
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