Atleti’s Simeone gets ‘difficult’ first-ever win at Barcelona’s Camp Nou

Diego Simeone called his Atlético Madrid team “extremely clinical” after a 2-0 Champions League quarterfinal first leg win at Barcelona, which was the club’s first victory at Camp Nou in 20 years.

Julián Álvarez put Atletico ahead with a free kick just before halftime, moments after Pau Cubarsí‘s red card had seen Barça reduced to 10 men, and then substitute Alexander Sørloth doubled the visitors’ lead in the second half.

Simeone had never won at Camp Nou as coach — with a record of seven draws and 11 defeats going into Wednesday’s game — and Atlético’s last win at the legendary ground came in 2006.

“It’s true we hadn’t ever won here at this stadium. It’s very difficult to do,” Simeone told Movistar. “[Barcelona] are maybe the best team in Europe with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. We did good collective work, we hurt them in important moments, and the second goal gave us more security. It’s a shame we couldn’t hurt them a bit more with the [man] advantage we had.”

The match was the second of three games between Atlético and Barcelona in ten days. Barça won Saturday’s LaLiga meeting 2-1 in Madrid, Atlético took Wednesday’s Champions League first leg 2-0, and then the teams will meet at the Metropolitano in the second leg on April 14.

“Football is great because being clinical is key, and today we were extremely clinical,” Simeone said. “We knew they play with a high line. We’re a team that have hurt them in almost every game we’ve played against them, we’ve always created chances and scored goals.

“It was hard, it’s not a coincidence they’d won 22 out of 23 games here [this season]…it’s good result but they’re an opponent who will for sure make us suffer on Tuesday.”

Álvarez’s free kick was his ninth Champions League goal this season.

“I took five or six free kicks yesterday [in training] and I think I didn’t score one,” he told Movistar, “but the important one was today.”