After the significant 5-2 victory over Tottenham in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Atletico Madrid's coach Diego Simeone addressed a series of important points in the press conference, expressing his perspective with realistic confidence.

Simeone described the victory as "very important," stating that his team succeeded in creating positive situations from the start and capitalized on the opportunities that came their way. He noted that the overall performance of the team was good, especially in the second half where their superiority was evident, despite Tottenham narrowing the gap.

The Argentine coach emphasized that the large first-leg result does not guarantee qualification, and that the return leg in London will be a difficult match requiring great focus.

He said that facing the return "will require suffering and focus as in all European matches," emphasizing that every match at this stage demands a lot of tactical acumen and physical effort.

Simeone was asked about the sudden changes in the Tottenham lineup, most notably the departure of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after the first quarter of an hour of the match. He responded simply and realistically: "I have never seen this at a professional level before," but he quickly added that he doesn't see this as "his business," and that he doesn't like to comment on the decisions of rival teams or on what the other team's coach does.

Simeone praised his team's overall performance, highlighting the role of the fans and the importance of maintaining the same spirit and focus on work rather than relying solely on the result.

He emphasized that the big win reflects Atletico's approach of early pressing and exploiting the opponent's mistakes, but he warned against falling into the trap of complacency before the return match in London.