Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised his side’s performance following their emphatic 4-0 win over Barcelona in their Copa del Rey semifinal first leg encounter on Thursday night, SportPremi reports.
In the heavyweight cup clash at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, it was the home side who came out victorious, defeated La Liga champions Barca by a four goal scoreline.
Eric Garcia’s own goal opened scoring inside the first 10 minutes after goalkeeper Joan Garcia failed to control a backpass, allowing the ball to sneak into the net.
The lead was doubled soon as Antoine Griezmann fired into the back of the net, before Lookman joined in on the act with his second Atletico goal in as many matches.
The Super Eagles star turned provider moments later for Julian Alvarez to score their fourth goal, as they sealed an emphatic 4-0 win.
Simeone reacts to Atletico’s big win over Barcelona
Atletico Madrid now have one foot in the final of the Copa del Rey after their drubbing of Barcelona, with manager Simeone praising his side’s performance.
The Atletico boss expressed satisfaction with the players’ performance and hailed their efficiency in front of goal.
“We found incredible energy in the stadium, life is energy, and we were able to ride that wave of energy. The interpretation of the match was very good, with the four forwards interpreting the space very well. Other days we say we lack cutting edge, but today will be remembered for how we played, the players represented it in the best possible way”, the Argentine stated.
“We’ve had some important nights. I remember the Champions League match against Barcelona (in 2014). But the energy comes from the stadium, then we interpreted the match that had to be played against a difficult, tough opponent. Despite their absences, they are always protagonists, we played a very good match.
“We had a very good night. We know who we’re up against. We’ll have to go into the second leg with the same desire”, Simeone added.
“It makes me very happy for our fans, they need these games. People want to be champions. We put all our effort into making that happen.
I think our fans need these games. They’ve been pushing for years, always there. They need important games. We had a very good first half, reading the game very well. We were very decisive and calm in the final stretch of the game. A very good first half.
“We knew (Barcelona) wouldn’t give up. They have the quality to take on anything that comes their way. That’s how the second half started. We had situations to resolve better in the second half. It wasn’t as similar to the first. The lads played an extraordinary game”, he concluded.
Atletico Madrid will hope to seal the deal in the second leg on March 3 to advance to the final, where they will meet either Athletic Bilbao or Real Sociedad.
