Simeone Is Bitter After Champions League Lose


Simeone (right) felt Kuipers (left) should have blown the whistle for full-time before Ramos’ goal

Diego Simeone has stressed he was ‘bitter, but not sad’ after Atletico Madrid were defeated 4-1 in the Champions League final by Real Madrid on Saturday.

The coach was fuming on the sidelines over the five added minutes in the second half in which Sergio Ramos scored his dramatic equaliser after Diego Godin’s opener to send the match into extra-time.

Having remonstrated with the referee after 105 minutes had been played, Simeone then stormed on to the pitch after becoming riled by Madrid defender Raphael Varane, who seemed to provoke the Atletico bench by kicking a ball into the dugout following Cristiano Ronaldo’s late penalty.

‘I don’t feel sad,’ the Argentine told reporters after the match. ‘It’s bitterness that I feel for not reaching my goal. Now the calmness is stronger and it has overcome this situation.

‘The match ends when the referee wants, I’ve nothing else to say on the matter. Hopefully this will provide Varane with experience and he will learn. He’s a great player with a great future.’

Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Ronaldo all scored in extra-time to give the Blancos a flattering scoreline considering how long Atletico had led, but Simeone accepted that his team grew weary as the game went on at Estadio da Luz.

‘Real Madrid were better in the second half of the game’ he added. ‘We were all tired but they got a little better.

‘I tried to tell my team that they remained competitive throughout the match and I am always proud of my players – they fought until the end with a lot of humility.

Simeone also defended his decision to start Diego Costa, who has been struggling with fitness issues in recent weeks, after the forward had to be brought off after nine minutes.

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