Diego Godin has admitted that Atletico Madrid “lacked intensity” during their 1-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Uruguayan defender will miss the second leg of Los Colchoneros’ last-16 tie with the Bundesliga outfit after picking up a one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards at BayArena, but he has faith in his side’s ability to turn around their fortunes without him.
“We have great faith and hope [in turning the tie around], although we’ll have to do things very well [at the Vicente Calderon],” he told reporters.
“We lacked intensity in challenging for the ball, which is what we normally feel most comfortable in doing.
“Our rivals played very well. They were very intense and quick and had a good game, creating chances on the break, with great speed.
“In that sense, we struggled and couldn’t do any better. This is the Champions League and it’s never easy.
“We’ll try to do as best as possible at our stadium to advance to the next round with the support of our fans and all the confidence in the world.”
