Simeone Sends Message to Lamine Yamal After Atletico Qualify for Champions League Semifinal, Video
- Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has revealed his message to Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal
- Yamal inspired the Catalans to a 2-1 win over Los Rojibalncos but not enough to qualify them for the Champions League semifinal
- Simeone shared how he was able to curtail the attacking prowess of the La Liga champions in the second half
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has sent a strong message to Lamine Yamal after securing a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, April 14.
Atletico defeated the Catalans 3-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 loss in a thrilling second-leg encounter at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium.
Source: Getty Images
Diego Simeone’s side have now reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in nine years.
Barcelona took the lead in the 4th minute through Lamine Yamal, who capitalised on a Clement Lenglet error and finished neatly past goalkeeper Juan Musso after being set up by Ferran Torres.
In the 24th minute, Torres doubled the advantage, racing onto a pass from Dani Olmo before firing into the top corner.
Seven minutes later, Nigerian international Ademola Lookman pulled one back, converting Marcos Llorente’s low cross to keep Atletico ahead on aggregate.
Yamal is a good kid - Simeone
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has admitted that Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal is an exceptional talent.
In a viral post on X, the Argentine manager acknowledged that the Spanish youngster caused problems for his side in the second leg but noted that Atletico are the ones progressing to the semi-finals.
Simeone said via Into The Claderon:
“Knocking Barcelona out in the Champions League quarter-finals isn’t easy. We’ve faced Messi’s Barça, Yamal’s Barça, and we’ve done it.
"It’s been 14 years, and seeing the team compete still makes me emotional. The players have changed, we’ve started again so many times, and once again we’re among the four best teams in Europe.
"How good is it to play a Champions League semi-final!”
He explained that the substitutions in the second half were able to spot the attacking prowess of Barcelona. Simeone said:
Source: Getty Images
“The second half was more balanced. Bringing on Nico, Baena, and Sørloth gave us energy, and they started to lose that speed, leaving the crosses for Araujo and Lewandowski.
“It’s the fourth, yes. Playing a Champions League semifinal, that’s great. We’ll go in with all our enthusiasm and faith.
"We know our strengths and our weaknesses. We have a lot of faith, we’re prepared, and we’ll go after what we’ve been chasing for many years,” per ESPN.
Psychic cat predicts Atletico vs Barca clash
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nimbus Pronos, a feline oracle which has a reputation for predicting football matches, has picked which team will reach the semi-final between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
Diego Simeone’s side holds a two-goal advantage after shockingly winning the first leg 2-0 at Camp Nou thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth.
Source: Legit.ng
