Atletico Madrid boss responds to VAR controversy after Barcelona win: ‘There is some common sense here’ | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid took a massive step towards the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou, and for Diego Simeone, the result carried both historical and tactical significance.

Simply put, Atletico had never managed to win at Camp Nou before, making this triumph even more meaningful in the context of the tie.

Reflecting on the achievement, Simeone acknowledged both the difficulty of the venue and the quality of the opposition. 

“We’d never won here before. It’s very difficult against a team that plays what is arguably the best football in Europe alongside PSG and Bayern. 

“Thanks to some good teamwork, we were able to make the difference at the crucial moments of the match. 

“Going 2-0 up gave us more confidence, and it’s a shame we couldn’t build on that lead a bit more,” said the Argentine.

Efficiency over dominance

It must be noted that Atletico Madrid managed just one shot on target against a ten-man Barcelona team. 

Simeone was quite satisfied with the result. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Simeone, however, explained how football often defies logic and statistics. 

“I could tell you a thousand stories about matches where we’ve had 30 shots and didn’t score. 

“Football is wonderful because clinical finishing is key. We were extremely clinical tonight, whereas on other nights we haven’t been.”

Marc Pubill controversy

As such, the match was not without controversy. 

One of the major talking points was a potential penalty appeal from Barcelona following a handball incident involving Marc Pubill, a decision that left the home side frustrated.

Asked about the situation, Simeone said,

“There is some common sense here. If Marc received a supposed pass to start the move, the referee saw it the same way as Marc.”

Source: AS