Simeone: This is what distinguishes the team, and we are not thinking about the return match

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone appeared in press statements after the 4-4 draw against Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

The coach said: "The 4-2 result was difficult against an opponent like Barcelona, but the 4-4 draw was a fair result. The road is still long until the return match. Now we are focusing on the Bilbao match, and the time will come to think about what will happen then."

He added: "Rodrigo was performing well, but he needed his legs there, with Marco and Angel, who gave us that courage that caused difficulties for the opponent. Sorloth gave strength to the team, and Julian performed wonderfully, running everywhere. Lino came in very well, and the team started to feel more comfortable in the game. It was conceivable that we could win. We leave the match with a 4-4 result, an open draw, a very tough opponent, but we have our tools."

He emphasized: "What bothered me the most was conceding two goals from set pieces and relying on individual and collective efforts. It is impossible for a team like Barcelona to finish a match without scoring a goal. The team had enough courage to go ahead 4-2 and take the lead, turning the score around, which was not easy."

He continued: "Scoring again at the last moment? The team tries until the end to create this kind of situations. We have new players who come off the bench, each of them capable of giving their best until the moment the coach decides. We will definitely continue to compete as we do."

He added: "Jose Gimenez is having a great season, with a lot of stability. We manage everything very well, physical work, nutritional work, and we give him rest periods so that he can perform at the level we need. In the year we won the league, he could have left, but we asked him to stay, and the club allowed him to do so, and we hope he continues to give us important nights."

He explained: "When we scored the first two goals, I said, 'Don't be too happy because it won't be that easy.' When it became 2-2, I said, 'This can happen.' At 3-2, I said the same phrase, after falling behind 4-2, I said, 'We are going through a bad time.' And when it became 4-3, I said, 'We were close to equalizing.' And when it became 4-4, I said to myself, 'We finished a night that will make our fans very happy.'"

He continued: "We started very well, an incredible 12 minutes, and we took the lead by two goals. They played very well, creating cohesive play from all sides, finding the first and second goals, then the mistakes that need to be controlled. Conceding two goals from set pieces is not good. They took the lead 4-2, and it seemed like the draw was about to slip away, but this team has spirit, you can see that, the substitutions gave us a different freshness, and we started to get it."

He added: "What particularly distinguishes the team is the spirit. There is an incredible fighting spirit. Barcelona has exceptional tools, but we have our own tools."

He added: "The goal I liked the most was the fourth goal, as there was little time left until the end, and it seemed difficult to come back after going 4-2 down, and the courage of the players was amazing in securing the equalizer and keeping everything open until the return match."

Regarding the return match, he concluded: "There is still a lot to do, many matches between now and then, the break, and everything that awaits us. Let's focus on what is coming, the Bilbao match on Sunday, which is a very complicated match."