MADRID (AP) — In just a matter of days, one of Atletico Madrid’s most promising seasons turned into great disappointment.
Playing well and with confidence, Atletico looked poised for a deep run in the Champions League, and was holding steady at the top of the Spanish league, in position to fight for both titles.
Then came a pair of setbacks, both at home and in heart-breaking fashion. First it was a penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid in the round of 16 in the Champions League last Wednesday, and four days later a 4-2 defeat against Barcelona in the Spanish league after Diego Simeone's team had led 2-0 midway through the second half.
Simeone was left searching for answers for the team's sudden struggles, and looking for ways to put it back on track for what is left of the season.
“What can we do?” the head coach said. “On Wednesday we get back to training, with the same motivation as always, with the same spirit, and accepting that it is what it is.”
Simeone wasn't giving up yet on the title race in the Spanish league, but Sunday's loss meant that Atletico fell four points behind both Madrid — which won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday — and league leader Barcelona, which has a game in hand and can potentially increase its gap to Atletico to seven points.
“Barcelona has an important advantage,” Simeone said. “We have to be realistic, but we will keep going match by match until the end.”
Atletico looked in control against Barcelona at the Metropolitano Stadium. But Barcelona was able to equalize with goals six minutes apart in the 72nd and 78th minutes, and got the victory with a pair of goals in stoppage time.
Against Madrid in the Champions League, Atletico looked in position to finally end its long slump against its city rival in the competition, but it couldn't come through a penalty shootout despite playing better during most parts of the tie.
In the shootout, a rare double touch by Atletico forward Julián Álvarez while taking his penalty led to yet another elimination.
Simeone didn't want to blame his team's defeats to bad luck, though he acknowledged that it played a part. He also noted his side needed to be more assertive at key points in matches, especially when it was playing better and could have sealed victory.
Against Barcelona, Simeone took some blame by saying that he should have made a change quicker than he did, adding defender José María Giménez sooner into the game.
“When we went up 2-0, I should have added Giménez earlier, before they restarted the match,” Simeone said. “But they restarted and scored the first goal, and then came the second.”
Simeone defended his players, saying they "have given it all, they have always competed and the fans have recognized that.”
Atletico visits Espanyol after the international break before hosting Barcelona again in the second leg of the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, a competition Atletico hasn't won since 2013, not long after Simeone took over.
The teams drew 4-4 in Barcelona in the first match last month, when Atletico was losing 4-2 until the 84th. Madrid and Real Sociedad are in the other semifinal, with Madrid having won 1-0 away in the first leg.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
