Diego Simeone hailed his Atletico Madrid side for “keeping the fire lit” during their 2-2 draw with Girona in La Liga on Saturday.
Atleti came back from 2-0 down against Girona and Antoine Griezmann’s red card to leave Montilivi with a point in their opening match of the season, prompting Simeone to commend both sets of players.
“It’s clear that in the first half, Girona were superior and, above all, more fluent,” the Coach said after the game.
“In the second half, we started better and with the changes we made, we came out stronger and played with a better dynamic.
“These allowed us to create chances and, with 10 players, the result gives us a better aftertaste. In short, it was a bad first half and very good second.
“The standout feature of this team is that they never give up, they keep the fire lit and they have the desire not to surrender.
“We were very clear on what we’d come up against. They played very well, they took advantage of second balls very well and once they take more of their chances, they’ll feel more comfortable.
“Girona are a team that are very clear on how they play and very fluent when bringing the ball out. They’re also good at set-pieces.”
