Diego Simeone praised his Atletico Madrid players for their efforts against a Villarreal side that had them ‘cornered’ near their own goal.
The Yellow Submarine took majority possession on Sunday evening to record a 1-1 draw at home to Atleti, with Ikechukwu Uche’s second-half effort cancelling out Mario Gaspar’s early own-goal.
“We came up against a team that plays very well and at this time is in a good run of form. In defence we did well," began Simeone afterwards.
“They had no clear chances even with ball control. In the second half we were better.
“But it is important point when playing against a direct rival for the Champions League places. Congratulations to the players for the effort that they have made.
“Could this game be our worse for possession in the season? Yes, possibly. It cost us much to get our and we struggled to find the triangles and spaces beyond a Villarreal side that kept the ball very well.
“We were cornered near our own goal. We could not create from defence to attack. The effort here was used elsewhere, but I am twice as happy. The players deserve a ‘10’.”
