Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has taken full responsibility for the Spanish side’s humbling 4-0 defeat at Benfica.
Atletico’s Champions League campaign took a disastrous turn as they suffered a 4-0 defeat against Benfica in Lisbon on Wednesday.
The Portuguese side dominated from the start, leaving Diego Simeone’s men outclassed and reeling from one of their heaviest European defeats.
Benfica’s dominance was clear early on, with Kerem Akturkoglu firing them into the lead in just the 13th minute.
Atletico Madrid struggled to find their rhythm and things went from bad to worse when former Real Madrid star Angel Di Maria doubled the lead from the penalty spot shortly after halftime.
Alexander Bah’s header from a corner made it 3-0 in the 75th minute, and Orkun Kökçü sealed the comprehensive victory with a second penalty, leaving Atletico Madrid shell-shocked.
This defeat marks another troubling statistic for the Spanish giants, who have now won just one of their last 10 Champions League away fixtures.
Diego Simeone, who featured for Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid in his playing days, shouldered the responsibility for the defeat when speaking after the match.
“The responsibility is mine for trying to create what I wanted to, but it didn’t show,” Simeone admitted as per AS. “The penalty came very quickly, we went 2-0 down, and we couldn’t generate what we would have liked.”
Despite the result, Simeone maintained a positive outlook, stating, “I always think positively, always see this as a good opportunity to keep improving… Congrats to the opponent, a very good match. They took advantage of every mistake we made and were incredibly decisive, deserving to win. Without any doubt.”
Atletico Madrid will be desperate to bounce back when they host French side Lille at their Metropolitano stadium in their next Champions League match.