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Atletico Madrid’s players seemed pleased with their performance after their 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Metropolitano. There was a slight regret that they were unable to take a lead to London next week, but there was a satisfaction with the reaction to going a goal down.
Julian Alvarez grabbed the equaliser from the penalty spot, but it was strike partner Antoine Griezmann who was named man of th match. He was positive abou
My biggest dream is to reach the final. I’ve prepared a lot for this match and the second leg, and hopefully we can achieve it,” he told Movistar+, as quoted by Marca.
“Our second half was much better in terms of intensity and pressing. That’s the way to go in the second leg. It’s going to be a great match to play. Whether it’s at home or at the stadium, it’ll be a tough one to watch, but that’s the beauty of football. Conceding at the end of the first half hurts. We made two or three tactical adjustments to press better and shift our position, and that made the difference. Then our fans pushed us on.”
“I had three chances, but I couldn’t get them in the net, but I’ll definitely get them in the second leg. We all did a great job and we have to focus on the second half, he noted, highly motivated to make his mark.
Marcos Llorente: ‘Whoever is more efficient will win’
Griezmann lamented his lack of effectiveness in front of goal, and it was something that Marcos Llorente remarked on too.
“Everything’s still up for grabs in the second leg. They took the first half and we took the second. That’s what we have to take away from this. We’ve made things very difficult for them,” he told MD.
“If you don’t take your chances, you end up paying the price. The second half is the path we need to follow. We have to take more risks, going man-to-man and pressing high up the pitch. We need to be more precise in the final third, because that’s what makes the difference.”
The Spain international felt that the side that is most effective will be victorious next week.
“[Next week will be] a another war. We are two teams with very clear ideas and who know their strengths. Whoever is more efficient will win the match.”
Johnny Cardoso: ‘We need the intensity of the second half’
Later on in the match, Llorente replaced Johnny Cardoso in midfield, who felt that there was little difference between the two teams.
“I don’t see anyone as favourites. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves and we know we can go out there, play a great game, and qualify,” he explained to MD in the mix zone.
“Of course, you’re playing at home, and ideally, you dream of leaving with a more comfortable result. We know it’s a Champions League semi-final, and games are decided by small details. In the first half, we had chances, but we weren’t very clinical in front of goal. However, the second half was much better, with much more intensity and we created more chances, and we could have achieved a positive result.”
Cardoso was unwilling to give much away to CBS Sports about the penalty decisions.
“Honestly, I didn’t see it after the game, so I can’t give a conclusion, but our penalty is a clear handball.”
“We need to go out with the same intensity we had in the second half, win the duels, be ourselves, enjoy the moment. We know it will be a tough game, with intensity, and we must be ready for anything.”
Jan Oblak: ‘The power beat me on the penalty’
Veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak also spoke to TNT Sports, and agreed that the referee was right not to give a second penalty to Arsenal after a VAR review.
“Intense game from both teams, we were looking for three points, them as well. I think we did a pretty good game, but 1-1 two penalties, all to play for in London. Everything is open. Always when they don’t give penalties, it’s better. Hopefully if they have it, I would stop it. Because I didn’t stop the first one. But the referee checked it, and we agree with him.”
The giant Slovenian seemed to get across to Viktor Gyokeres penalty, but could not place his hands in time to stop it.
“Yeah, I think so [the power beat him]. I was close, I was on the right side. But he shot with maximum power. Unlucky. I am angry about it, but it’s in the past now, and we need to focus first on the league this weekend, and then on the second leg in London.”
This was the second meeting between the two sides, who met in the league phase at the Emirates. That game finished 4-0 to the Gunners, but Oblak was paying little attention to it.
“I think we will not think about this game. We lost 4-0 against a great team like Arsenal, but I hope and I think it will be a different game. We will do everything possible in order to reach the final.”
“Honestly, we’re are not thinking about [winning] it. First we need to do the work on the pitch, and we still have the second leg. It’s the same as Arsenal, they want to win the Champions League, but if we want to win it, we have to get through first.”
‘We need the perfect game to get through’
Later speaking to Spanish media in the mix zone, Oblak said his side would need the perfect game to beat Arsenal next week.
“We all have to play a perfect game on Tuesday if we want to reach the final. In the end, we went for the win, we wanted to win, but we didn’t manage it. We didn’t give Arsenal any space and they didn’t have any chances, while we did. We leave with a good feeling. It’s a shame we didn’t win, but everything is still to play for in the second leg and we have to be even better then,” he told MD.
“It’s not ideal that we didn’t win, but everything is still open. Sometimes, when you go into a game with an advantage, it can be complicated. The important thing is that the team has made a good impression.”
The return leg comes next Tuesday at the Emirates at 21:00 CEST. Diego Simeone was also satisfied with his side’s reaction in the second half, while Mikel Arteta was frustrated with the decision to remove the second penalty, feeling that it ‘changed the tie’.
