MADRID, 22 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Bayer Leverkusen coach, the Spanish Xabi Alonso, has assured that “the draw” for Atlético de Madrid this Tuesday in the Champions League match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where the red and whites ended up winning (2-1), came “very soon”, with a performance by Julián Álvarez who scored a goal “out of nowhere”, and as a consequence they have not known how to “control” the match.
“We talked at half-time that we need to have a cool mind, avoid provocation and play our game. We knew that Atleti was going to take the game to their own ground. The tie came very soon and we didn’t know how to control it,” he declared. news conference.
For the Basque coach, his team has been “very focused” until the red and white team’s goal came to tie the game. “I think the 1-1 draw has hurt us, the mood has changed for both teams. It has left us a little shaken and we haven’t known how to control it, and Atleti has already connected. The defeat has been hard,” he assured. “Today we had an adversary of the first magnitude, we are fighting against the best teams. That is hard, but it is our challenge,” he confirmed.
The Guipuzcoan coach did not want to “comment anything” about the referee’s performance during the match. “It was a very emotional match with good phases for us and bad ones, especially in the second half. The first yellow card – for Piero Hincapié – was more doubtful. The referee pulled the other way,” he said.
“We had doubts after the draw and Atleti took a breath. The game became uncontrolled, it opened up too much and we didn’t know how to take it to our side. The good dynamic was gone and we couldn’t get into the game. area. We have lost the good ideas of continuing to attack,” he reflected.
Furthermore, Alonso ruled that his team played a game of “an acceptable level, but not extraordinary”, which was what the Germans needed to get a good result from the Metropolitano. “They play a lot with that way of playing and connecting with the public that has led them to comebacks this season. You have to play the 90 minutes at an excellent level,” he stated.
One of the names of the match was Julián Álvarez, author of the double that certified the red and white comeback, who is “one of the best strikers in the world.” “His role at Atlético de Madrid is fundamental. Today he did what a striker should do: score a goal out of nothing,” he highlighted.
Finally, he believes that Bayer Leverkusen has “complicated the ‘Top 8′” with this defeat against a direct rival, but they must try to “win next week’s match.” “We have to take the blows, there is no time to lose. We have the game next week which is important,” he said, stating that he sees Atlético de Madrid as a “very competitive team that can be there” competing in the competition. European. “They have one of the best squads in recent years,” he concluded.