Atletico Madrid’s head coach Diego Simeone praised his team’s performance in their 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo, despite playing nearly the entire match with one player down.
In the seventh minute, midfielder Pablo Barrios received a red card for a dangerous foul, and in the second half, they suffered the blow of going behind. However, Atletico Madrid never gave up. Playing with one less player for most of the match, they fought hard and earned a crucial point with a late equalizer. Simeone was particularly impressed by his team’s resilience and determination.
Atletico had the chance to move to the top of La Liga with a win, but in the end, Simeone was satisfied with securing a 1-1 draw under difficult circumstances.
In the seventh minute, Barrios’ foul earned him a direct red card, and in the 68th minute, Atletico conceded a penalty, with Iago Aspas scoring from the spot to put Celta ahead.
However, Atletico was relentless in their pursuit of an equalizer and finally leveled the score in the 81st minute, thanks to a goal from Aleksander Sorloth, bringing much-needed relief to the team.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Simeone expressed his full satisfaction with his players’ performance.
“If I had to rate this performance on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give my players a 10. Playing almost 90 minutes with one player down—it’s something I’ve rarely seen. They managed to defend well, control the opponent’s attack while playing aggressive football,” Simeone said.
“The players are in great form. And after that red card, I felt like I was watching gladiators… playing with one less player for 90 minutes, that’s very, very tough.”
After 14 matches, Atletico sits second with 50 points from 14 wins and 8 draws. Real Madrid is at the top with 51 points, after drawing 1-1 with Osasuna on the same day. Barcelona, with 48 points, has one game less and remains in contention for the top spot.
