Atletico Madrid Boss Diego Simeone Explains Club World Cup Exit

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has offered his perspective on why his side was eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup despite a win over Botafogo.

Atletico secured a 1-0 victory against Botafogo in their Group B match on Monday but failed to advance to the Round of 16 due to goal difference. Botafogo and Paris Saint-Germain progressed after finishing as the top two teams in the group, despite Atletico also accumulating six points.

In his post-match interview, Simeone highlighted the challenge of being drawn into the toughest group of the tournament.

“People will say that we got knocked out, but it was the most difficult group, and we are out on goal difference,” the Argentine coach said.

“We are used to this. We have Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga and we always qualify for the Champions League,” he added.

Simeone acknowledged the quality of the opposition, noting, “We had a difficult group, with the winners of the Champions League and the Libertadores. And we had the same points as them… But yes, we are calm. We know what we have to improve on.”