Simeone: Result could be worse

Diego Simeone has conceded that Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday “could have been worse.”

Los Colchoneros fell to Hakan Calhanoglu’s lone strike in the first leg of their last-16 tie with the Germans at BayArena and also lost experienced pair Diego Godin and Tiago, the latter of whom was sent off, to suspensions, while both Guilherme Siqueira and Saul Niguez sustained injuries.

“[Leverkusen] played very well, pressed very well, recovered the ball quickly and we couldn’t shake them off easily,” the Coach said after the match.

“I’m happy, though. It was a game which saw us make two changes in the first half and left with just one in the remaining 20 minutes.

“We couldn’t resolve the pressure. They won [the game in] the second half. It was a strange game, neither team created many chances.

“We had one [chance] at the end of the first half but didn’t take it, and they had some after the break.

“I’m happy [with the result, considering I] made ​​two changes in the first half, had a goal disallowed and only lost 1-0. It could’ve been worse.

“We don’t play with a trident [in attack]. We only did it with [Antoine] Griezmann on the left and Raul [Garcia] on the right because we suffered from [Tiago’s red card].

“This team are used to winning games and conquering important battles. [Tiago and Diego Godin’s suspensions are] no problem. We’ll surely play [Jose Maria] Gimenez and Mario [Suarez].”

Tags Bayer Leverkusen Diego Simeone
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