Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone blames UEFA for deciding Champions League loss

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone blames UEFA for deciding the Champions League loss to Real Madrid after Julian Alvarez’s penalty kick was shockingly disallowed.

The outspoken coach still feels the frustration from Alvarez’s spot-kick that was “shockingly” ruled out for a double touch.

The Argentine coach feels his fellow countryman was unfairly punished for what he thinks was a clean goal.

The incident proved vital as Atletico crashed out of the tournament, adding to Simeone’s unending list of grievances with UEFA’s officiating decisions, especially on the night.

The frustration from Simeone’s men didn’t end at that unforgettable night; however, just days after their Champions League heartbreak, they gave away an early lead against Barcelona, eventually suffering a 4-2 defeat.

The loss dealt a serious blow to their La Liga title aspirations, as they fell further behind in the race.

Atletico returned to domestic action this weekend after the international break, failing to rediscover their winning form, managing only a 1-1 draw against Espanyol, a relegation-battle team.

The result left Simeone in a pensive mode as his team continued to struggle with inconsistency at an important stage of the season.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Simeone once again expressed his frustration with UEFA, directly blaming them for Atletico’s early exit from the Champions League.

The 54-year-old cut in a frustrated figure described to the reporters that they rather won the game but were eliminated.

Diego Simeone after Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to relegation-battled Espanyol (Image credit: Andrew Milligan/PA)

“We did very well in the Champions League; we competed well, we won the second leg [at home], we finished as UEFA had decided.

“We won and we were eliminated,” he told reporters.

“I don’t consider it a blow. What happened was very clear.

“Shifting focus to the Barcelona defeat, Simeone admitted that his team was exposed by a relentless and fierce Catalan attack.

“Against Barcelona, it was a different situation, we were exposed to a very dangerous team, and they scored four goals in 20 minutes,” he added.