Simeone backs home edge for Atlético in Champions League push | OneFootball

Atlético de Madrid managed a 3-3 draw with Brugge this Wednesday (18) in Belgium, and will decide their spot in the round of 16 of the Champions League at home next week.

“We’ve come from a marathon of games with a lot of effort. We need the energy we have at home. What matters is winning,” declared Simeone at a press conference.

“We were efficient, but there were situations we could have controlled better defensively. We lacked defensive solidity,” he added.

The Argentine striker opened the scoring for Atlético at eight minutes and the Nigerian Ademola Lookman (45’+4) extended the lead in stoppage time of the first half.

After the break, fellow Nigerian Raphael Onyedika (51′) took advantage of a rebound from goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the box to pull one back for Brugge and, shortly after, Italian Nicolo Tresoldi (60′) leveled the score.

The Belgian team increased the pressure in search of victory, but it was the team led by coach Diego Simeone that scored the third goal, with Ecuadorian defender Joel Ordóñez (79′) putting the ball into his own net.

However, Brugge kept pushing and was rewarded in the final stretch. Greek player Christos Tzolis (90′) received the ball up front, broke into the box, and fired across goal to seal the draw.

The goal was initially disallowed by the linesman for offside, but confirmed after VAR showed that Tzolis was in a legal position during the play.

Atlético de Madrid, who have never won the Champions League, are far behind in the Spanish Championship and believe their best chances of winning a title this season are in the European competition and the Copa del Rey. In the latter, the team holds a 4-0 advantage over Barcelona ahead of the return leg at the Camp Nou.

However, the team’s defensive frailty leaves everything open for the return match on Tuesday, with both teams fighting to reach the round of 16 of the main European competition.

“We went 2-0 up and couldn’t hold the lead. It was a rollercoaster, as it has been all year. We need to be more focused,” said Koke Resurrección to Movistar+, referring to the team’s inconsistency this season.

“We have to know how to manage a lead. That happened twice today (Wednesday),” continued the midfielder.

*with content from AFP

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