Simeone: Defensive Solidity Key for Atletico's Final Stretch

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone emphasizes defensive solidity as the team rallies with a 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. Find out what he said about their title chances and team performance.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone urged his side to maintain momentum until the end of the season after a 3-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano. Goals from Alexander Sorloth, Conor Gallagher, and Julian Alvarez secured a convincing victory, strengthening their grip on third place in LaLiga.

“It doesn't make me angry that we're scoring goals now, it's part of the process. In football, many scenarios can happen and we have to be prepared for whatever comes our way,” Simeone said. “In the league, we have been competing quite well and I hope we can maintain this line game by game until the end.” The win helped Atletico bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone acknowledged the LaLiga title is almost out of reach, trailing Barcelona by 10 points and Real Madrid by 6 points. However, he emphasized the importance of defensive solidity as they approach the final stretch.

Three goals and three points at home! pic.twitter.com/m92xiLc9bB

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 24, 2025

“In the game against Las Palmas we played very badly and today in the first half we repeated that situation a little bit, but we recover and I'm happy with the defensive work which is our first strength to build everything the team tries to do,” Simeone said.

Simeone praised substitute Antoine Griezmann, who made a significant impact after coming on. “Antoine came on in the 60th minute and found a way to break down the defence and make an important pass,” he said, referring to Griezmann's assist for Julian Alvarez's goal. Simeone added, “Julian goals speak for who he is a player and we are getting to know the person, he is a guy who came here to win and I hope we can help him do that.”