In an honest reflection, the Argentine manager acknowledged the gulf between his side and some of the tournament’s elite clubs.
Atletico Madrid bowed out of the FIFA Club World Cup on Monday night, despite a 1-0 victory over Botafogo. The victory was not enough to take Atletico through to the knockout stages. Head coach Diego Simeone did not hold back in his post-match assessment as he offered a candid reflection on his team’s shortcomings.
The Spanish side came into the contest knowing they needed to win by at least three goals to leapfrog their Brazilian opponents into the Round of 16. Instead, they labored through a frustrating evening at the Hard Rock Stadium, where Botafogo’s disciplined defensive structure limited their effectiveness for long periods.
In typical Simeone fashion, Atletico were combative and driven. However, they lacked the clinical edge when it mattered the most. After a first half of half-chances and poor finishing, Simeone turned to veteran forward Antoine Griezmann to provide a spark. The Frenchman almost delivered instantly, cutting in from the left only to rattle the post with a driven effort.
The best opportunity of the night arguably fell to Alexander Sørloth but the Norwegian striker headed wide from six yards with the goal at his mercy. Griezmann eventually did break the deadlock late on with a tidy finish inside the area, but by then, Atletico’s fate was sealed. Despite losing, Botafogo progressed to the last 16 thanks to a superior goal difference.
Despite winning two of their three group stage matches, Diego Simeone offered an honest assessment of his team’s Club World Cup campaign following their exit from the tournament. In a brutally honest reflection, the Argentine manager acknowledged the gulf between his side and some of the tournament’s elite clubs.
Speaking to the press after the match, Simeone said:
“We knew beforehand that it was a very nice and exciting tournament, but for us Europeans it comes at the end of the season, and for the South Americans it’s in the middle.”
“I didn’t like the first match, beyond the result, because we weren’t compact. Today we played as we usually do, intensely, looking for goals. But the situations didn’t go our way, and we didn’t have the luck to score”.
“We’re not in the same league as PSG and Botafogo, but we got the same number of points as the Libertadores and Champions League winners and we’re out. That’s the beautiful thing about football: it tells you that we’re close, but we’re always just a little bit short.”
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