Diego Simeone Reacts As Ademola Lookman Sends Atletico to Champions League Semi-final
- Diego Simeone shared his thoughts after Atletico Madrid reached the UEFA Champions League semi-final
- Atletico Madrid lost 2-1 to Barcelona at the Wanda Metropolitano but progressed after winning 3-2 on aggregate
- Super Eagles attacker Ademola Lookman scored the crucial goal that made the difference for Simeone’s side
Diego Simeone has shared his thoughts after Ademola Lookman’s goal on April 14, 2026, helped Atletico Madrid reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Atletico progressed to the final four 3-2 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 2-1, having beaten Barcelona 2-0 at Camp Nou in the first leg a week earlier.
Source: Getty Images
Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth scored two second-half goals for Los Rojiblancos in the first leg on April 8 to put them in a strong position for a semi-final spot.
However, Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the second leg before Ferran Torres added another goal 20 minutes later to draw Barcelona level on aggregate.
Nigeria's Ademola Lookman popped up with the crucial goal for Atletico to make it 2-1 in the first half and 3-2 on aggregate with no goal scorer in the second half.
See the X post below.
According to BBC Sport, Atletico reached their fourth Champions League semi-final in 14 years under Simeone and will face the winner of Arsenal vs Sporting CP.
Simeone reacts to Atletico’s Champions League progress
Simeone could not hide his emotions after his team put up a spirited performance against Barcelona and admitted that he said 'thank you' to his players immediately after the match.
As quoted by Into the Calderon, he remarked:
“Phew, it’s been 14 years, and honestly, seeing the team still competing really moves me. The players have changed, we’ve had to start over countless times, and here we are again among the top four in Europe.”
The Argentine admitted that his team had a poor start, but it was always their intention to attack and impose themselves, rather than merely defending.
“Yes, but it could happen. They’re very good. When you play against teams like that and make mistakes, they don’t forgive you. It could happen; we were thinking they might score one or two goals.”
Source: Getty Images
He added:
“We had to play, attack and impose ourselves. The game wasn’t about defending, even if the opponent forces you into it, whether you want to or not. Sometimes you don’t want to defend, but they force you into it because you can’t take the ball away from them.”
There is no rest for the Argentine manager and his players as they will face Real Sociedad on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in the final of the Copa del Rey.
Simeone stated that his attention had turned to the final and he was not bothered by whether their next opponent in the UCL would be Arsenal or Sporting.
Mysterious cat predicts Atletico vs Barcelona
Legit.ng also reported that an oracle cat had predicted who would reach the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
The mysterious feline picked Barcelona, but got it wrong after Diego Simeone’s side dumped the Catalans out of the competition with an aggregate win.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
