Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone lauded the impact of his substitutes, whose contributions ignited a comeback in their 3-1 victory over Leganes in LaLiga, Soccernet.football reports.
Atletico fell behind to Yvan Neyou’s stunning first-half goal which left them trailing at half time, with the team frustrated by missed opportunities in a wasteful opening period.
In response, Simeone made five substitutions, which injected fresh energy into the side. Julian Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone provided crucial assists, while Alexander Sorloth scored twice, sandwiching a goal from Antoine Griezmann to secure the win.
Atletico dominated the match, creating numerous goal scoring opportunities and attempting 24 shots, with nine on target, though they didn’t break through until the 69th minute.
Giuliano, Simeone’s 21-year-old son, came on in the 57th minute, and the coach expressed particular satisfaction with his development as a winger.
“The work of the boys who came in was very good, they gave us an offensive aggressiveness that was crucial to guide us to the win,” Simeone told Movistar Plus as per beIN Sports.
“[Giuliano] has been training in that position lately and doing really well. In Argentina, he also trained in the right sector, and we are seeing a lot to improve.
“But what I really appreciate is the hunger and enthusiasm that he transmits. In the second half, I think we had a bit more space to explore the back of their defence and the boys deserve this prize for their work. We hope they give us more things.”
Atletico Madrid occupy third place on the La Liga standings, behind Barcelona and city rivals Real Madrid. Simeone’s men will now focus on their October 23 Champions League date with Lille before returning to La Liga action with a trip to Real Betis.