Diego Simeone revealed that Atlético Madrid “had a plan” to break down Inter and that it worked perfectly against “one of the best teams in the Champions League.”
The Argentine played for the Nerazzurri from 1996 to 1999 and admitted in the press conference that he sees himself one day on Inter’s bench as a coach.
However, he celebrated enthusiastically when Jose Maria Gimenez headed in a corner from Antoine Griezmann in the final minutes of extra time, sealing a 2–1 victory.
“We were playing against an extremely strong team, I think one of the best in the Champions League,” Simeone told Amazon Prime Video Italy.
“We knew this, and our first half was built to limit their game with pace and physicality, so that we could run once we regained the ball. We knew they would suffer on counterattacks, especially when we went behind the wing-backs.
“Since we could rely on another part of our repertoire in the second half, the substitutions allowed us to continue the plan. We put everything we had on the pitch, the game changed, we had possession, and they were making quick passes to hurt us. Luckily, we got a result that we really needed in the Champions League.
“The goal in the 94th minute made it even more exciting, but win, draw, or loss, this was the plan.”
There was a lot of controversy over Atlético Madrid’s early goal, as it appeared Alex Baena had handled the ball before Julian Alvarez scored from close range.
Piotr Zielinski scored a temporary equalizer for Inter, but that did not stop Atlético from maintaining a perfect home record in the Champions League this season.
“I don’t have comfort zones, nor do I want them, I enjoy being like this,” Simeone responded when asked about his intense celebrations.
“We have to work with trust, love, and quality. I have players who support me; many on the bench wanted to start, but they did what they had to do.”
Inter now has five losses this season across all competitions, but this was their first in the Champions League, where until today they had a perfect record.
