Online Reporter
MADRID — Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone hailed his team’s faith and collective effort after their stunning 5-2 victory over Real Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday, a result that marked the first time in 75 years that Atletico had scored five goals against their city rivals.
‘‘Real Madrid is one of the best teams in the world, and today we had to play a great game,’’ Simeone told reporters.
‘‘From the start, we knew where we could do damage, with breaks on the outside with Nico (Gonzalez), (Pablo) Barrios, Julian (Alvarez), Giuliano (Simeone) . . . pulling the centre-backs out and leaving (Alexander) Sorloth inside to create chances. I think that, beyond their two goals, the team did well.’’
Atletico had managed just one victory in their first six matches across all competitions and Simeone, now in his 14th season with the club, acknowledged the emotional weight of the result, shedding tears of joy on the bench in the final minutes.
‘‘There are a lot of emotions inside,’’ he said. ‘‘The season started off difficult and there’s a lot of effort from a lot of people that you don’t see, and it’s been wonderful.’’
Simeone praised his side’s approach, saying: ‘‘The collective work and the faith to do what we wanted to do stood out. We interpreted the match well, and our fans are very happy because we won against a great rival that conceded few goals.’’
The Argentine also singled out Alvarez, who scored twice and played a pivotal role in the victory, saying: ‘‘Julian is committed to the team, to the club, and he is very good. He has talent and works hard. He not only contributes offensively but he also works hard and is committed to the team to create good dynamics. We need him, we have to take care of him, and hopefully he can stay with the club for many years.’’
Reflecting on the team’s challenging start to the campaign, Simeone called for calm and perseverance.
‘‘When you lose, it’s difficult to talk because everything sounds like an excuse. Eight new players arrived, seven last year, and it’s not easy to start. I think we deserved a little more but we started with few results.
‘‘We conceded a lot of goals, and I believe the team is on the right track. By working hard and believing in what we do, I think things will turn out well,’’ he concluded.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso called on his team to learn from their 5-2 thrashing, a result he described as both painful and deserved.
Alonso, speaking to reporters, admitted that his side had fallen short of their usual standards. ‘‘We didn’t start well but this is ongoing. We must draw conclusions, because this is ongoing. It’s a deserved defeat . . . we lacked a gear. A defeat that hurts, yes,’’ he said.
Despite the setback, Alonso believes the humbling result could have a silver lining. ‘‘Perhaps it will be beneficial for the future. We didn’t start well in the duels, in the ball to space. We were too much like losers. The game didn’t flow. A bad match overall, a deserved defeat,” he acknowledged.
‘‘The explanation is that we did not perform at our usual level. And it has to hurt, but it has to be a pain that we use positively.
‘‘We lacked intensity and focus. How to counteract this better. We had an idea but we need to evaluate it further.
‘‘We didn’t compete enough, not at the level required for these matches, against these opponents. And we’ll have to raise it,’’ he said.
