Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone believes that their draw against Sevilla was an important point as the two sides are direct rivals for a spot in the Champions Legaue.
Simeone’s men held Sevilla to a scoreless draw against Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan which saw Los Rojiblancos stay in third place in the table, just a point ahead of fourth placed Valencia and a further eight ahead of Unai Emery’s side.
The two sides combined had 22 shots on target reflecting the attacking nature of the game and the Argentine acknowledged the same in his post-match comments insisting that it was a “lively match.”
“It was a very lively match”, Simeone was quoted as saying by AS.
The manager was effusive in his praise of both sides for the effort they put in during the match.
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“Both sides showed they are hard-working, both with their virtues and both trying to exploit them. In the second half we could have settled the game with two counter-attacks.
“I love the effort of the 22 on the pitch.”
Sevilla are among La Liga teams fighting for a spot in the next season’s Champions League, and Simeone believes that Emery’s side will provide a formidable challenge for the rest of the European contenders.
“I'm not mistaken when I say that Sevilla are going to be fighting for the European places.”
Even though Simeone’s side are the reigning La Liga champions and last year’s Champions League finalists, he insists that his team’s primary objective remains finishing among the top four and not winning the Spanish title.
“It's a good point because we were playing a direct rival.”
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