Diego Simeone pointed to the way Atletico Madrid worked as a unit as his favourite part of the Copa del Rey win over Real Madrid.
Fernando Torres scored in the opening minute of each half as Atletico recorded a 4-2 aggregate win over the Cup holders, Cholo praising El Nino when speaking after the match.
But the Coach reserved his greatest praise for the team as a whole when pushed to choose a standout aspect of the contest.
“The collective work was the highlight, always. Not any individual returns,” Simeone said, according to AS.
“We’re happy. We wanted to play an intelligent game and we needed to take our chances with our quick forwards. The goals came early.
“We suffered more in the first half than in the second, when we played a very good game.
“We played against the best team in the world, the world champions and Champions League winners, in a great stadium, which was full.
“They put on all the pressure in the first half. They did well. We defended deep but we did well.
“I don’t think we’ve caught up to Madrid. We always face a powerful team. We won a League with two teams that are required to win the Champions League.
“It’s very difficult and we don’t think it’s not for even a second. We show it in every game.
“It was a hard atmosphere, with a lot of people in the ground. The choreography [before the match, saluting the Ballon d’Or honourees] was very nice but the early goal wasn’t part of the plan.”
Speaking about Torres, scorer of the aforementioned early goal, Simeone recalled Torres’ first spell at the club.
“When he came out the cantera he was a young guy, too young for everything that happened, but he responded well,” Simeone, a former teammate of Torres, continued.
“He left, he grew up. Now he’s a man and I’m very happy for him. He responds to games like this. The fans are happy.
“His arrival so far is doing us good, although some people doubted it.”
