Diego Simeone mentioned the numbers don’t lie about his success within the Champions League after guiding Atletico Madrid to yet one more quarter-final within the competitors.
Atletico reached the final eight of UEFA’s flagship competitors regardless of a 3-2 loss to Tottenham within the second leg on Wednesday, with the harm executed in Madrid eight days’ in the past.
The LaLiga facet emerged 7-5 victors on mixture, getting back from behind twice at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier than Xavi Simons’ late penalty sealed the win for the hosts.
Simeone has now progressed from eight totally different Champions League final 16 knockout ties, as many as Jose Mourinho and behind solely Pep Guardiola (14) and Carlo Ancelotti (13) in Champions League historical past.
“There are occasions when it isn’t essential to speak, the numbers communicate for themselves,” Simeone advised reporters about his newest achievement.
“Now we have to present the best power we have now, the standard to reinvent ourselves. The hassle made an infinite effort.
“The workforce didn’t begin nicely, the three-goal benefit didn’t come nicely. We equalised, it was 2-1, we equalised, we had conditions to shut and the ultimate penalty got here.”
31 – Atlético Madrid have scored 31 targets in 12 matches within the 2025/26 @ChampionsLeague, their highest tally in a single version of the competitors of their historical past.
Punch. pic.twitter.com/BH9M26tJmk
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 18, 2026
However not solely are these numbers spectacular, however with their two targets towards Spurs, solely Paris Saint-Germain (34) and Bayern Munich (32) have netted greater than Atletico’s 31 within the Champions League in 2025-26.
As well as, the one two events Atletico have scored as many as seven targets on mixture in a Champions League tie have been of their final two ties this season, having beforehand crushed Membership Brugge 7-4 within the play-offs.
And their reward is yet one more conflict with Barcelona, having already performed the Blaugrana thrice this marketing campaign, the most recent of which noticed Simeone’s facet knock them out within the Copa del Rey semi-finals over two legs.
“Sure, it’s a second to be joyful as a membership, as a workforce, with the enjoyment of our individuals, who will take this step to the quarter-finals,” Simeone added.
“Whenever you enter right here the street will likely be onerous, as in earlier conditions after we reached the ultimate.
“We must compete like this. It is going to be troublesome as a result of we are going to face the workforce in Europe that assaults the most effective, however we will likely be excited to compete.”
It was additionally a particular outing for Julian Alvarez, who grew to become simply the fourth participant to attain and help in each legs of a Champions League knockout tie (two targets, one help in first leg, 1 purpose, 1 help in second leg).
The others are Alessandro Del Piero (1997-98 semi-final, Juventus vs Monaco), Kaka (2011-12 quarter-final, Actual Madrid vs APOEL) and Robert Lewandowski (2019-20 final 16, Bayern Munich vs Chelsea).
“We knew it wouldn’t be straightforward towards a sophisticated workforce who play very nicely,” Alvarez mentioned of Atletico’s show.
“However with the three-goal benefit from the primary leg, we knew how you can management the tempo of the sport.
“We clearly wished to win on the evening, and had alternatives to take action, however we’re joyful to undergo to the quarter-finals.”
