Atletico Madrid are currently top of La Liga after their victory over Athletic Club, although Barcelona can take back to position on Sunday night if they defeat Real Sociedad at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys – but regardless, they will end the weekend at least second after overtaking city rivals Real Madrid, who lost to Real Betis.
It was a rather fortuitous victory for Atleti, who won courtesy of a second half strike from substitute Julian Alvarez. After that goal, Athletic Club would hit the woodwork three times, twice from Inaki Williams and another from a Benat Prados header. On this, Diego Simeone felt rather lucky, as he told the media during his post-match press conference (via Diario AS).
“First of all: huge thanks to the players. They are doing an extraordinary job, competing in the best way not only those who start, but also those who come off the bench and especially those who do not enter and are aware of everything that may happen to the team.
“We came out of a very good pressure in our half, we did not finish solving in the last meters the space they generated on the left or on the right with Giuliano thanks to the individual overflow. And we entered a time where they were better, the game was split, we lost it, they counter-attacked and they are very good there. They had gone 16 games without losing and in the second half the goddess of luck on the crossbar and the goddess of luck of having Julian with us to define how he defined.”
Simeone also spoke glowingly on Atleti’s matchwinner.
“I will talk about when we knew that his arrival was confirmed and it made us very happy. Julian is a differential player, like Luis Suarez at the time – they have a gift, they are different, as happened with David Villa. They are differential. I’m happier than anything else with his humility, starting as a substitute, playing on the left, waiting on the bench… Hopefully all his teammates can look at him to get things out of them.”
