{"id":1957,"date":"2026-04-09T15:09:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T07:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/?p=1957"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:09:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T07:09:42","slug":"simeone-dismisses-controversy-and-hails-atleticos-clinical-edge-after-barca-triumph-common-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/simeone-dismisses-controversy-and-hails-atleticos-clinical-edge-after-barca-triumph-common-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Simeone dismisses controversy and hails Atletico\u2019s clinical edge after Barca triumph: “Common sense”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Following the 2-0 first-leg victory, ‘Cholo’ Simeone lauded the ‘Colchoneros’ for their discipline and defended the officiating during a contested incident involving Marc Pubill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atletico de Madrid boss Diego Simeone hailed his side\u2019s “total assertiveness” and a “strong result” following their 2-0 victory in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Barca. Despite the cushion, the manager warned that the Catalan giants “will certainly make the ‘Colchoneros’ suffer” in the return fixture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Through disciplined collective work, we managed to hurt the opponent at pivotal moments of the game. The second goal provided us with more security,” the Argentine noted, reflecting on Cubarsi’s expulsion in the 44th minute of the first half. “It is a pity we couldn’t extend the lead further, especially given the numerical advantage we enjoyed today, similar to what they had last week.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While admitting the red card incident was “very far” from his vantage point, Simeone praised his players for capitalising on the situation. “We were sharp enough to exploit a moment born from the chemistry between Julian and Giuliano,” he explained. “From where I was, I saw a touch that left him one-on-one before the foul. VAR intervened, the referee confirmed the expulsion, and then came an incredible goal from Julian.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing the decision not to penalise an alleged handball by Marc Pubill inside the box, Simeone remained pragmatic. “If Marc was receiving a pass to build play and the referee interpreted it that way, then it is simply common sense. You can always find conspiracy theories in these moments if you look for them,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussing his tactical approach, the Argentine coach admitted the strategy focused on exploiting the Catalan team’s high defensive line. He noted that Atletico have “managed to trouble Barcelona in almost every meeting,” though he conceded they faced periods of struggle due to the “efficient pressure” applied by their rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Argentine coach also revealed his players prioritised “securing the 0-2 rather than gambling for a 0-3,” urging caution ahead of the second leg. “We are fully aware of the challenge awaiting us next Tuesday and we are prepared to compete. More than ever, we will need the unconditional backing of our supporters,” he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the 2-0 first-leg victory, ‘Cholo&#8217 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1957"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1959,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957\/revisions\/1959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}