Kiko Casilla believes Atletico Madrid gave an indication of the qualities that won the title as they downed his Espanyol side.
Goals from Tiago Mendes and Mario Suarez gave Atletico the home victory and Casilla admitted the game was as difficult as Espanyol expected.
“We came with the mentality of fighting to get something from here,” he told AS.
“We knew it would be complicated. We’ve done everything possible but they are the defending champions, because they exploit things very well.”
Both Atletico goals came from set-pieces, Casilla explaining that every time Atletico had a dead ball, they were a threat.
“Each one was a danger. We lasted almost the entire first half and then we were punished,” he lamented, reflecting on Tiago’s 42nd-minute opener.
