Diego Simeone has conceded that Atletico Madrid were not clinical enough after his side were knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal on Tuesday night. The LaLiga club fell 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.
After holding Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Madrid, Atletico failed to capitalize on their opportunities in the return leg, with Bukayo Saka’s first-half strike proving decisive. Speaking to UEFA after the match, Simeone acknowledged Arsenal’s superiority over the two legs.
“Well if we got knocked out it’s because our opponents deserved to get through,” he said. “They took their big chance in the first-half and they deserved to get through. I feel calm, I feel peaceful.”
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The Argentine manager admitted his team struggled to convert chances, despite showing improvement in the second half. “We weren’t clinical enough with the situations we were in. There were things that could’ve gone our way but they didn’t,” he added.
Simeone praised his players for their effort and fighting spirit but said they must now accept the outcome. “We gave it our all and now we have to accept the place that we are in. I said we wanted to compete and we have done that. Unfortunately we haven’t won anything but we have got to places that are hard to get to.”
Arsenal will now face either PSG or Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on May 30 in Budapest.
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