“I loved them” – Diego Simeone pays tribute to Atletico Madrid’s Copa del Rey opponents | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid made it through to the second round of the Copa del Rey on Thursday, but they did not have things their own way against sixth-tier side UE Vic. It took until the 81st minute for the deadlock to be broken by Julian Alvarez, who added his second late on to ensure a 2-0 victory.

As per Diario AS, Atleti head coach Diego Simeone gave his assessment post-match, and he spoke glowingly of Vic.

“For us it was not a surprise, we had seen some of the opponent’s games. I loved how they played with passion, commitment, with intensity every ball and the search to respond to our tactics.

“I’m happy for the opponent because they demanded a lot of us, they made us generate situations that, for the moment we are going through, the goal was going to cost as much as it did. In the first we had chances and we couldn’t score, then the penalty came and Julian’s goal that secured the win.”

It is a morale-boosting win for Atletico Madrid, although it was not a convincing performance, Simeone will want more from his side on Sunday when they host Las Palmas at the Metropolitano.