SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-ATL-AST/REAX Simeone pleased with Atletico win, warns it won't be the same in Astana

Record ID: 135751

  • Title: SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-ATL-AST/REAX Simeone pleased with Atletico win, warns it won't be the same in Astana
  • Date: 21st October 2015
  • Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 21, 2015) (REUTERS) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE SAYING: "We did the most with the goal chances we had. Probably we could have scored more goals if we were more accurate. I imagine a completely different game i
  • Embargoed: 5th November 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA9KVHZC8MQTZQKI7UNKDHRI1QH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Jackson Martinez hit his first Champions League goal for Atletico Madrid as they swept aside Astana 4-0 in Group C at the Calderon on Wednesday (October 21).
    A scrappy strike from the edge of the area which took a deflection off defender Denis Dedechko after 29 minutes will boost the confidence of Martinez who has struggled to live up to his 35 million-euro ($39.7 million) transfer fee from Porto.
    Saul Niguez opened the scoring with a flick from the edge of the six-yard box after 22 minutes and Oliver Torres delicately chipped the ball over keeper Nenad Eric after 63 minutes.
    A Juanfran Torres cross was turned into his own goal by Dedechko to complete the rout a minute from time.
    In a news conference after the game, coach Diego Simeone said his side could have scored more goals.
    "We did the most with the goal chances we had. Probably we could have scored more goals if we were more accurate. I imagine a completely different game in Astana," he said.
    Asked if he will rest some players in the return leg in Astana , Simeone said he wasn't prepared to take that risk.
    "We will go there with our best team possible. I repeat once again, I have no doubts that the match in Astana is going to be difficult," he said.
    Atletico Madrid are top in Group C with six points from three games.
    Astana coach Stanimir Stoilov left eight players behind in Kazakhstan, his priority to keep them fresh in their bid to win their domestic league.
    Asked if the team would have had more chances to shock Atletico with midfielder Roger Canas on the pitch, Stoilov said that it would had been very difficult even with the Colombian in the squad.
    "I wanted to take all my players but we decided to leave some of the regulars in Astana so they can prepare for the league match. In my opinion it would have been very difficult to defeat Atletico even with Roger Canas," he said after the match.
    Kazakhstan's Astana have one point and are bottom of Group C.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register