Diego Simeone praised his Atletico Madrid side’s performance against Barcelona and remains optimistic heading into the Supercopa de Espana second leg.
Atleti were the better side in Wednesday evening’s first leg clash at the Calderon, going ahead with David Villa’s strike before Neymar levelled matters for a 1-1 finish.
Whilst this hands the Catalans the slight advantage of the away goal heading back to the Camp Nou next Wednesday, El Cholo remains positive for his side’s chances.
“In the second half when the game was better for us, Barcelona managed to equalise and level the tie,” conceded Simeone in analysis post-match.
“The tie is open and now there is a big game at their field. We will have to make a big effort to maintain our rhythm and play as we did tonight, to continue on this line, which is what we want.
“I believe that the result, beyond our dominating in the field and when we had it at 1-0, I leave with the feeling that the tie is always open.
“It is possible to achieve results in the Supercopa – we always want to win, but it is possible that a 2-2 or 3-3 would give us the title.
“I am proud of my players. They had an amazing first half. I would say it was one of the best first halves of a final that we have played.”
