Diego Simeone, the head coach of Atlético Madrid, commented on the loss his team suffered against Espanyol with a score of 2-1, in the first round of the Spanish league for the 2025/2026 season.

Despite the good performance at times during the match, Simeone acknowledged that the result was difficult, but he confirmed that it would push the team towards improvement in the upcoming phase.

Regarding the match analysis, Simeone said: "Espanyol took advantage of the few opportunities they had well, especially from set pieces, which brought them back into a game we were controlling and playing well, then came the second goal that harmed us and prevented us from achieving victory or even a draw."

Regarding the impact of the defeat, he added: "I understand that this loss is part of the journey, it is a painful result, but it will help us improve and grow. I hold on to all the positive aspects the team showed, and we will work on reducing the weaknesses that appeared."

On the positives, he continued: "I saw many good points, especially in the first half, we were controlling the game, and they did not have real opportunities to score. The team showed character with the ball, but in the end, the most important thing in this game is winning. I cannot consider it positive in light of the loss, despite some good things that emerged."