Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone said he was happy for his lesser players after the last-gasp 1-0 win over Viktoria Plzen.
The Argentine made several changes to his usual starting line-up for the Europa League game and was pleased with the outcome despite having to rely on a 93rd minute goal from winger Cristian Rodriguez.
“There are many guys working to get into the team so I want them to enjoy this. It’s nice for players such as [Sergio] Asenjo, [Jorge] Pulido, [Domingo] Cisma, Emre [Belozoglu] and others,” he told a Press conference.
“We did well in the first half but I knew it was going to be tough. They had a specific game plan and made things difficult.
“We were not good in attack but improved in the second half when Emre dropped back. Although we weren’t at our best the goal rounded things off nicely.”
Simeone then explained how he viewed Rodriguez’s impressive match winner, saying that when the ball fell to him his first thought was ‘no’, although he clarified it by saying it was a superb strike.
His thoughts then turned to Sunday’s game with Malaga, a clash between La Liga’s second and third-placed teams.
“They are having a good run, playing well and with speed in every department. We will have to be alert,” he warned.
