Madrid: Head coach Diego Simeone has described Atletico Madrid as “the best team performance” against Manchester United in the second leg of the last 16 of the Champions League.
Atletico, who are struggling to defend their Spanish La Liga title, are fourth in the table, 15 points behind top-placed Real Madrid.
However, Athletico have secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over English clubs in the second leg of the pre-quarterfinals. Athletico drew 1-1 in the first leg and won 2-1 overall against United.
“I am very happy that we have been able to reach this place today because of the hard work of the players,” said Simeone. “We were competitive and the team did not hesitate to play defensively. The goal of the first half put us ahead of the game and the team performed very well in the second half.’
Renan Lodi scored the decisive goal against United in the 41st minute and Athletico secured a place in the last eight.
