Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone said goalkeeper Jan Oblak had saved his team in the 2-2 Copa del Rey draw with lowly Hospitalet.
Atleti won the first leg 3-0 and Simeone opted to rest several of his stars for the return at the Vicente Calderon, but saw his side struggle to see off the minnows.
Mario Mandzukic, one of the few regulars, scored in either half but his goals were cancelled out on each occasion by Hospitalet midfielder Ruben Jimenez.
Slovenian stopper Oblak looked to be at fault for the second, although Simeone refused to blame him and insisted it was his intervention late on that saved Los Rojiblancos from defeat.
“In the first half Oblak was good, very focused and attentive, and with the first goal he was unlucky because the ball touched Saul.
“Then there was the second, which was a great goal, and if I remember rightly he ended up saving the game with a low save he made from the right-hand side, which was very difficult.
“If not for that we’d have lost,” insisted Simeone, who said he was not too upset with his side’s display on the night.
“I’m not angry. Those who usually have fewer minutes did well in what was a competitive match.
“We started well and it appeared we were really comfortable in the second half, but they reacted well and got their first goal, which was a little lucky,” he explained.
Atleti will now meet cross-city rivals Real Madrid for a place in the quarter-finals.
