Simeone and Atletico Madrid left lamenting squandered opportunities against Real Madrid

Atletico Madrid’s head coach, Diego Simeone, expressed disappointment that his team couldn’t make the most of their dominance during large stretches of their 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 matchup on Tuesday.

Despite the setback, Simeone was pleased with the response from his squad after conceding an early goal, stating he believes they can overturn the deficit in the second leg at the Metropolitano Stadium next week, similar to their comeback against Inter Milan at the same stage last year.

“We needed to make better use of our control in the game,” Simeone remarked.

“It’s challenging to take risks, as you run the risk of losing the match with a counter-attack. We managed that situation well, but we lacked the final touch.”

The Argentine manager is optimistic that the electrifying atmosphere at their home ground will provide Atletico with “added motivation.” Despite trailing going into the second leg, Simeone noted that it could have been worse if Real Madrid had capitalised on a late opportunity.

Real’s Kylian Mbappe was unable to connect with Vinicius Jr in the dying moments of the match, a pass that could have secured another goal.

“Perhaps the absence of that goal allows us to look forward with hope for what lies ahead,” he added.