Simeone Reflects On Atlético Madrid’s Season After Copa del Rey Exit To Barcelona

‎Diego Simeone insisted that Atlético Madrid had “competed well” this season after Barcelona knocked them out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

‎Barcelona emerged victorious in the semifinal second leg at the Metropolitano Stadium, defeating Atlético Madrid 1-0, thanks to Ferran Torres’s goal in the 27th minute. With this win, Barça advanced to the final with a 5-4 aggregate score.

‎Atlético’s defeat adds to their recent struggles, as they were eliminated from the Champions League in the last 16 by Real Madrid last month and continued their underwhelming run with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday.

‎This result leaves them nine points adrift of the league leaders.

‎”Here’s what I think the team, up to now, has competed well,” Simeone said in his post-match news conference on Wednesday.

‎”We competed well in the Champions League, we competed well in the Copa, and in the league, we’re having a good season. We’ll keep going, trying to keep improving to get closer to the teams above us, and accepting the place that we have.”

‎Atletico were La Liga leaders in January, after a 15-game winning run in all competitions, but have suffered a dramatic loss of form in the last month, going six games without a win.

‎Real Madrid triumphed in the Champions League penalty shootout after Julián Álvarez’s spot kick was disallowed for double-touching the ball.

‎In La Liga, the team faced a difficult stretch, suffering defeats to Barcelona and Getafe before managing a draw against Espanyol.

‎In the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg on February 25, the match against Barcelona ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw, with Atlético staging a dramatic comeback from a 4-2 deficit late in the game.

‎However, the second leg on Wednesday unfolded as a more subdued affair.

‎”In football, sometimes the opponent is better,” Simeone said.

‎”In the second half, we corrected things, and we could have made it a draw. We competed well, against a team that plays well… They’re a great opponent, who at times will be superior to you.”

‎Defender José María Giménez apologized to Atletico fans for the team’s underperformance.

‎”[We have to] accept the reality,” Giménez said. “We know we’re a long way off, but we have to try in the league until the end… After that, we’ll see if the season has been good or not so good.”