Simeone proud of team's performance, despite loss

MADRID — Atletico Madrid was knocked out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, after a 1-0 semifinal defeat to Barcelona for a 5-4 aggregate loss, but coach Diego Simeone was proud of his side's overall performance throughout the season.

Eliminated from the Champions League, Atletico suffered another massive blow with its Cup exit, as it extended its winless run to six matches. All signs now point to a fourth consecutive season without any silverware, as it trails leader Barcelona by six points in the La Liga standings.

Simeone, however, said he was still content.

"The team has competed very well so far, in the Champions League we have competed very well, in the Cup too, we are having a good league season, and we will continue approaching it match by match," Simeone said.

"We are trying to keep improving to get closer and closer to the teams above us, and to accept the place we are. I have no other thought than to continue with the same work, focusing on continuing in the best way possible on what is ahead of us in La Liga, with our focus on Sevilla who are our next opponent."

It seems like a tough pill to swallow for Atletico fans, as the team looked like a real contender for three major titles when it was in a two-month unbeaten run just four weeks ago.

It was head-to-head with Barca and Real on top of the La Liga standings, and secured direct qualification to the Champions League round of 16.

But, it crashed back to earth after a heartbreaking home loss on penalties to crosstown rival Real Madrid in the Champions League last month, followed by a 4-2 home defeat against Barca a few days later in La Liga, when it allowed the Catalan club to fight back from two goals down.

With elimination from the Spanish Cup on Wednesday, its last hope is La Liga, where it is miles away from Hansi Flick's Barcelona which is top with 66 points, three ahead of Real, with third-placed Atletico a further six points back in the title race with nine games left.

"In football, there are good moments and others that are not so good. There are moments when you control the game, and others when you control the opponent. And, during the season, you have to know how to manage the good, regular and bad times, and hope, game by game, to finish in the best possible way," Simeone said.

"We didn't play a good game today, but that is nothing to be sorry about. There are no complaints, as their competitive spirit and desire were always there. All the players are giving everything they can give."

Reuters