Diego Simeone praised Joao Felix s fearlessness after the attacker converted a crucial penalty to help Atletico Madrid reach the Champions League knockout stage.
Atletico needed three points to put a last-16 place beyond doubt and did the business with a 2-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday.
There was an early setback when Kieran Trippier failed to convert a spot-kick in the second minute, his saved attempt piling pressure on a team that had not scored in three games.
But after winning that penalty, Joao Felix took it upon himself to end Atletico s goal drought 15 minutes later.
The 20-year-old Portugal international made no mistake from 12 yards after Rifat Zhemaletdinov s handball gifted the hosts another opportunity to open the scoring.
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Roma owner Jim Pallotta has insisted that stars such as Daniele De Rossi, Kostas Manolas, Aleksandar Kolarov and Edin Dzeko did not conspire to get former coach Eusebio Di Francesco sacked.
The 49-year-old lost his job after crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Porto and reports on Thursday suggested that a group of senior players had pushed for backroom changes amid much infighting.
However, Pallotta has moved to deny these rumours and even claimed that De Rossi had lobbied for Di Francesco to be left in charge for the remainder of the season prior to his dismissal in March.
Some aspects of that article made Daniele De Rossi look bad, which is not fair because Daniele has been a warrior for Roma for 18 years. He deserves respect and I have alwa…
Atletico keen on Cavani
French daily newspaper that Atletico Madrid are hot on the trail of Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani.
Los Colchoneros seem ready to shake up their attacking options in the summer, with Mario Mandzukic and Arda Turan being linked with moves away from Vicente Calderon.
As a result, Diego Simeone appears to have made PSG s Edinson Cavani his number one target and he reportedly informed the striker of his interest through his international teammate Diego Godin.
The Uruguayan may have a contract until June 2018 at Parc des Princes, but he is reportedly hoping to leave the Saints at the end of the current campaign.
Cavani is believed to be unhappy at being played out of position and is ready to consider his options in…
Atletico Madrid host Getafe in La Liga on Saturday, and coach Diego Simeone wants the Vicente Calderon crowd to spur his players on as they did in midweek against Bayer Leverkusen.
Simeone s side defeated Leverkusen on penalties in their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, after Mario Suarez s goal cancelled out a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Germany.
Atletico s defence of their Liga title has faltered in recent weeks, with three successive draws seeing them fall to fourth nine points behind leaders Barcelona.
The dressing room was proud of themselves, Simeone who is reportedly close to agreeing a new contract said after the win over Leverkusen.
This will give them a huge strength. For Saturday, we need the Calderon just like today, with th…
Gary Neville has warned Manchester United over the ramifications of an exit for Cristiano Ronaldo, expressing his fears the club could finish in the bottom half of the table.
United s start to life under Erik ten Hag has been woeful, losing back-to-back matches against Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford to sit at the foot of the Premier League.
Pressure is already mounting on Ten Hag, who faces a stern test on Monday against Jurgen Klopp s Liverpool, and the final weeks of the transfer window could be decisive.
United have been linked with a host of players, but the biggest story continues to be the future of Ronaldo, who is widely reported to be pushing for an exit due to his desire to play Champions League football.
Reports on Tuesday suggest Uni…
Steven Gerrard added further fuel to speculation over Liverpool s move for Jude Bellingham after telling the midfielder his development is well ahead of his own progress at the same age.
Bellingham impressed once again as England cruised past Ukraine with a 2-0 victory in Sunday s Euro 2024 qualifying clash and joined Gerrard on the Wembley Stadium touchline at full-time.
The former Reds captain, speaking as a pundit on Channel 4, lavished high praise on the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, who is reportedly a target of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
You re a lot further ahead than when I was your age, so you re going in the right direction that s for sure, Gerrard told Bellingham.
When pressed on how Bellingham is further developed than ex-Liv…
Mohamed Elneny has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the Premier League club have confirmed.
The midfielder joined from Swiss champions Basel in January 2016 and has since made 66 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals.
Manager Arsene Wenger described Elneny as a big advert for Egypt as he welcomed the news.
I m very delighted with Elneny, Wenger told Arsenal s official website. He s a guy who contributes a lot to the collective quality of the team, he defends well, he attacks well, he is a continuity player, he puts oil in the engine.
Officially we will be together for a longer time, in order to reach what we started, and to put arsenal in it s deserved spot In Europe and the whole world
— Mohamed ELNeny (@ElNennY…
Verdict: Draw
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Manchester City will have little time to ponder on their Champions League defeat with Manchester United coming to Etihad for the highly-anticipated local derby which could see Pep Guardiola’s men clinch the Premier League title.
Manchester City
There is hardly a better way to recover from an underwhelming Champions League loss than by grabbing a hold of the Premier League trophy in front of the eyes of your local rivals. Such a scenario is possible for Manchester City, who will give their absolute best to bounce back from the Liverpool disappointment and put in a Premier League winning display when they host Manchester United on Saturday.
Standing in the middle of a highly busy schedule, Pep Guardiola will …
The future of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is shrouded in doubt as he takes his side to Espanyol for the penultimate game of their La Liga season.
A four-point gap between Real and leaders Barcelona means Ancelotti s men require victories from their final two Liga matches and for Luis Enrique s side to fail to win their remaining fixtures to clinch the title.
Four points from their last two games would be enough for Real should Barca lose to both Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna, but given that the Catalan giants have been defeated just four times in the league in the whole of 2014-15 and have won 11 of their last 12 Liga outings, the task facing Real is bordering on the impossible.
Regardless of how Barca fare at Atletico on Sunday, Ancelotti…
Manchester United set to sign Gaitan
Portuguese media outlet that Manchester United are on the verge of completing a deal for Benfica winger Nicolas Gaitan.
It is no secret that the Red Devils are keen on the Argentine footballer, but it appears they have finally made their interest concrete.
According to A Bola, the deal is close to being wrapped up, with Manchester United reaching an agreement over a €30 million transfer fee.
Seeing as Angel Di Maria has largely struggled at the start of his career in England, the former Real star could be sold this summer and replaced with Nicolas Gaitan.
The 27-year-old has had a key role to play in helping Benfica secure back to back league trophies and the club chiefs decided to cash in on his services t…