Yan Nigeria
Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone, has pointed to the strength of their group as the main reason behind the club’s early exit from the FIFA Club World Cup, despite finishing with six points.
Atletico Madrid defeated Brazilian side Botafogo 1-0 in their final Group B match on Monday, courtesy of a goal from Antoine Griezmann. However, the narrow win was not enough to see them through to the Round of 16, as they were eliminated on goal difference.
Paris Saint-Germain and Botafogo advanced after all three teams finished with six points, but Atlético’s minus-one goal difference proved costly.
In his post-match press conference, Simeone expressed pride in his players’ efforts and blamed the group’s high level of competition for the disappointing outcome.
“People will say we got knocked out, but it was the most difficult group, and we are out on goal difference,” the Argentine tactician said. “We are used to this. We have Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga and we always qualify for the Champions League.”
He continued: “We had a difficult group, with the winners of the Champions League and the Libertadores. And we had the same points as them… But yes, we are calm. We know what we have to improve on.”
Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann, who scored the decisive goal against Botafogo, also voiced his frustration at the post-match interview. The Frenchman lamented missed chances and hinted at controversial refereeing decisions.
“We’re angry because we wanted more. We had enough time to score and win,” Griezmann said. “Clearly the referees went against us in this tournament, but sometimes they favor us and we don’t say anything. It’s more of a football issue inside our team.”
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