"This club is all about growth" - Simeone on Atletico dismal run

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Pablo Simeone acknowledged on Wednesday that Barcelona deserved to win and advance to the final of the Copa del Rey and that his team must “accept” what they have and continue working to finish “as well as possible” in La Liga.

“We didn't have a good first half, although it's not to ask for forgiveness either. The rival was better in the first half of the match. We competed well in the second half, corrected things and had the opportunity to equalise. We competed very well in the second half against a team that plays very well,” said Simeone about the match.

“You play against a great rival and this can happen. Now it remains to face the situation for what's left. The team, until today, has competed well in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, and in La Liga we are doing well. I don't give up on that thought. Now we have to go on match by match, trying to continue improving to get closer to those ahead of us and accept what we have,” he added.

In that sense, he added: “The team is competing very well and there is no other thought than to continue working as usual. We have to focus on continuing to do well in La Liga and think about Sevilla. This club is all about growth. This year we have brought in very good players who are performing at a very good level and I am not moving from all this”.

On Barcelona's victory, he repeated that he really likes the way they play. “I said it a long time ago,” he said. He added: “Football is moments. There are moments that are good and moments that are not so good in the season. You have to know how to manage the times you have during the season. Let's hope to finish the league in the best way.”