
Simeone Explains the Heavy Loss Against Paris Saint-Germain
Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone appeared in press statements after the 4-0 loss against Paris Saint-Germain in the first round of the group stage of the Club World Cup.
The coach said: "In the first half, the team was superior, especially in controlling the game, not in chances, but in possession. They were strong too. We could have equalized with Griezmann's goal, but in the same play, they made a good counter-attack and made it 2-0."
He added, "In the second half, we competed better, scored a goal, and it became 2-1. In such moments, often it is allowed to continue, but in this game, the VAR was called to review the play. It was a goal, but they disallowed it, and that was really tough. Then came Lenglet's red card, and they took advantage of the chances they had."
He followed with, "Do you understand the referee's decision regarding the disallowed goal? I'm tired of talking about repetitive issues. Otherwise, we always look like victims, and I don't feel like a victim of anything. We played against a great opponent, who was better than us. But the details are clear."
He concluded, "What was the team missing? If you have the ball more, you will have a bigger personality. We couldn't regain the ball and had the necessary strength and patience to push them into defensive positions. If the other team attacks well, pressures you, takes the ball away, and doesn't allow you to advance, you will go where they want. We could have equalized with Griezmann's shot, but the goalkeeper saved it, leaving us in this difficult situation. The 4-0 result is very negative, but it depends on us."
The coach said: "In the first half, the team was superior, especially in controlling the game, not in chances, but in possession. They were strong too. We could have equalized with Griezmann's goal, but in the same play, they made a good counter-attack and made it 2-0."
He added, "In the second half, we competed better, scored a goal, and it became 2-1. In such moments, often it is allowed to continue, but in this game, the VAR was called to review the play. It was a goal, but they disallowed it, and that was really tough. Then came Lenglet's red card, and they took advantage of the chances they had."
He followed with, "Do you understand the referee's decision regarding the disallowed goal? I'm tired of talking about repetitive issues. Otherwise, we always look like victims, and I don't feel like a victim of anything. We played against a great opponent, who was better than us. But the details are clear."
He concluded, "What was the team missing? If you have the ball more, you will have a bigger personality. We couldn't regain the ball and had the necessary strength and patience to push them into defensive positions. If the other team attacks well, pressures you, takes the ball away, and doesn't allow you to advance, you will go where they want. We could have equalized with Griezmann's shot, but the goalkeeper saved it, leaving us in this difficult situation. The 4-0 result is very negative, but it depends on us."