Cerezo hits back at Pep criticism

Atletico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo has hit back at Pep Guardiola’s criticism of the Vicente Calderon grass. “We’ve played on this grass all season…”

The lawn was not watered before Atleti’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern, which Los Colchoneros won 1-0, prompting Guardiola to accuse the Calderon’s playing surface of not being up to par after the game.

“We’ve played on this grass all season and not had any problems,” Cerezo said at the headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) on Thursday.

“It was a fantastic game and one really worth seeing. The two teams played really well. We still have 90 minutes remaining, but hopefully we’ll move forward.

“It was a shame [Fernando] Torres’ shot didn’t go in. They also hit the woodwork, but the fact remains that the result was fair.

“We had a splendid game and all our players sacrificed themselves. I send a big hug to all the players, although I already gave them one [on Wednesday].

“We want to play Real Madrid in the final because it’s what everyone is hoping for.

“We’re going to fight, first against Rayo [Vallecano] and then Bayern. We’ll go game by game.

“We’ll carry a good result to Munich, although it’s not by a very big margin.

“Either way, the most important thing is that we won and well. Now we have a week to think about other things.

“[Saul Niguez] is a great player and will be an important player next Tuesday. It’ll be a very tough match and the tie is now almost 50-50.

“[On Karl-Heinz Rummenigge], he is a good person and was a great player.

“I heard what he said and can’t answer it. It’s not easy against any team in the world.”

Tags Bayern Munich Enrique Cerezo Pep Guardiola
La Liga - Club News