Diego Simeone was delighted with the way Atletico Madrid bounced back from midweek disappointment to defeat Espanyol.
The capital club won on Sunday evening thanks to a solitary Radamel Falcao penalty, whilst Gabi’s sending off saw the home side play the entire second half with 10 men.
“Once again, I feel great joy for the response of the team. The first half was good and we were focused,” enthused Simeone, in reference to the midweek Europa League elimination that preceded this game.
“Following the red card, the effort was extraordinary. The thing I am happy with is the attitude and willingness of those who came into a difficult situation. What we achieved today was down to great collective work.
“We responded to the red card fantastically. The centre-backs were exceptional and Falcao did very well too. Tiago showed commitment, Arda showed his ability. The full-backs pressured well. It was a great collective effort.”
Atleti’s win was their 13th consecutive League win of the season at home.
“We go from game to game, we have always had this idea of being competitive. Sometimes we do better, others worse but I think people value and want to see that the squad is delivering. Today we delivered and the fans response was great. The team always conveys the history of this club.”
