Diego Simeone, the coach of Atlético Madrid, spoke to the press following his team's qualification to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, after losing 3-2 to Tottenham in the second leg of the round of 16 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, qualifying thanks to the first leg result of 5-2.

Simeone said: "Yes, this is a moment to be happy as a team and as a club, and with the joy of our fans who will enjoy our qualification to the quarter-finals. When you enter this stage, the competition will be tough as in previous times when we reached the final, we will have to compete strongly, especially since we will face the best offensive team in Europe, but we have the motivation to compete."

He added: "Sometimes, you don't need to speak, numbers speak for themselves. We have to give our maximum energy and regain quality to be able to reinvent our style. The team made a tremendous effort, the start wasn't perfect, and the three-goal difference didn't help us, we tied, then came the second goal, we tied again and had chances to finish the game before the last penalty, the draw was deserved, I am very happy with the players' performance."

Simeone confirmed his team's readiness for the next challenge: "We will try to compete with Barcelona, the team we will face, I repeat, Barcelona is the best offensive team in Europe, the quarter-final match against them will be at a high level, and it will require us to deliver the best possible performance."

Regarding constantly facing major teams, Simeone explained: "This is natural, the problem lies with those who don't want to see that, we compete in the league, cup, and Champions League almost always, and sometimes reach the final, this makes us better, Barcelona is an outstanding team, but facing big teams will push us to compete, in the best possible way."

He praised his player Julian Alvarez's performance saying: "He delivered an amazing match, with great vision, continuous work, and a good understanding of the game's stages, scored a wonderful goal and contributed with his offensive style in creating scoring opportunities."

Simeone concluded his talk by saying: "I am happy because I am in the place I desire, where we all work for the team to be able to compete, I hope fate gives us the chance to reach as far as possible."