Simeone delighted by Cup win

Diego Simeone praised his second string Atletico Madrid side for edging out lowly Real Jaen 1-0 on Wednesday night in the Cup.

Atleti were already 3-0 up from the first leg and have now booked a place in the Last 16. For Simeone, the performance was more important than the close scoreline the second leg produced.

“We had a significant intensity and that saw that the game began to close out,” enthused El Cholo at the end.

“What makes me happy is to have seen the way they played. Against Academica in the Europa League we could not live up to how we always want to play, to always play in the best way.

“The good thing today was the absolute commitment and intensity with which the boys came out from the beginning of the game through to the end.

“The first half was very good, with a high pace that allowed us to have enough chances in front of goal.

“The second half was at another rhythm, but we sought to control the game.”

Atleti will face Getafe in the next round of the competition.

“We expect to find a tough opponent, the other day they had a good result at Espanyol and we will have to be careful because it will be a difficult meeting.”

Simeone commented that he had ‘an idea’ of his starting XI for Saturday’s Madrid derby, but declined to talk in detail of the anticipated League clash.

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