Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone acknowledged the strength of Inter following his sides 1-0 defeat in the Champions League: “Inter are a strong team, but we gave them too much.” A Marko Arnautovic goal settled the first-leg at San Siro, but the Nerazzurri spurned a number of good opportunities to add to their lead, ahead of the second-leg in Madrid. Speaking after the match, Simeone gave credit to the opponents but admitted his side should have done more:
“‘Inter is a strong team, but we granted them too much, which we shouldn’t have done. Even in the first half, they almost took advantage of our mistake. They execute counterattacks well, and it becomes difficult when you offer them opportunities,” Simeone stated in an interview with Sport Mediaset.
The former captain of Inter also took a moment to remember Andreas Brehme: “It’s very sad news; we lost a beautiful person and a true Interista. I didn’t have the pleasure of playing with him, but we had a great relationship.”
“Despite these details, we put in a good performance. We created some goal-scoring opportunities, and we go home trailing by one goal. We’ll have to work hard for the return leg to see if we can make it. Inter plays well in every area of the field and is always dangerous. We hope to put up a better performance in the return leg. I hope all the attacking players are available, from Griezmann to Morata, Correa, and Depay, so that we can prepare for the return leg in the best possible way,” he added, emphasizing the importance of having all key players at his disposal for the upcoming match.
