Diego Simeone insisted he was ‘bitter not sad’ after Atletico Madrid lost in the Champions League final.
The former Catania boss was livid as the game against Real Madrid went into extra-time, with Sergio Ramos scoring an equaliser in the 93rd minute.
Diego Simeone insisted he was ‘bitter not sad’ after Atletico Madrid lost in the Champions League final.
The former Catania boss was livid as the game against Real Madrid went into extra-time, with Sergio Ramos scoring an equaliser in the 93rd minute.
The Argentine tactician claimed that was too much, and lost his cool, entering the pitch to confront the referee.
"I don't feel sad,” he told reporters. It's bitterness that I feel for not reaching my goal. Now the calmness is stronger and it has overcome this situation.
“The match ends when the referee wants, I've nothing else to say on the matter. Hopefully this will provide Varane with experience and he will learn. He's a great player with a great future.”
Simeone did except however, that the eventual champions did get better as the game went on.
“Real Madrid were better in the second half of the game" he added. “We were all tired but they got a little better.
“I tried to tell my team that they remained competitive throughout the match and I am always proud of my players – they fought until the end with a lot of humility.
"We were locked in the middle of the pitch with nowhere to go and that makes things very difficult. Football is marvelous for that. At times, it teaches us that winning is everything and it is the most important.
“Losing is not worthy of a tear, we need to keep our heads up and prepare for next season. It is part of the game but obviously you have the two situations. But we gave everything and other people know that Atletico can compete.
"We're working for the best. We won a marvellous Liga, which is day to day and we came close to an international competition, which is good for business.”