Atletico Madrid’s Simeone Lauds Players for Securing Draw While Down to 10 Men

Atletico Madrid’s manager, Diego Simeone (54), commended his squad’s determination as they battled to secure a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Saturday, despite competing for the majority of the match with only 10 players.

Simeone expressed his admiration for his team’s resilience following a straight red card shown to midfielder Pablo Barrios. They managed to equalise late in the game, thanks to Alexander Sorloth, who cancelled out Iago Aspas’s opening goal.

“If I were to rate their performance from one to 10, I would undoubtedly give my players a 10,” Simeone declared during a press conference on Saturday.

“Playing nearly 90 minutes with a man down is something I’ve rarely witnessed, and they did exceptionally well to defend and control the attacks from a side that is known for its aggressive forward play.

“Our opponents had limited chances aside from the penalty, yet we managed to equalise and continued to push for a win with whatever energy we had left. It was a challenge thrown our way, but we overcame it, which will ultimately strengthen us.

“The lads are currently in a strong phase, and what I witnessed out there after the red card was a team of gladiators… Ninety minutes with one less player is incredibly tough…”

Atletico Madrid missed a prime opportunity to ascend to the top of the LaLiga table after leaders Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Osasuna earlier on Saturday.

Real Madrid remain at the summit with 51 points, just one point ahead of Atletico, who sit in second place. Barcelona, with a game in hand, are positioned third on 48 points and will take on sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano on Monday.