Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone staying grounded

Diego Simeone Atletico Madrid coach

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Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is staying grounded after watching his side defeat local rivals Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu on Saturday night.

The reigning La Liga champions had already exacted some revenge for their heart-breaking extra-time Champions League final defeat in May when they beat them on aggregate in the two-legged Super Cup earlier in the month.

However they were clearly in the mood to inflict more misery on their big-spending hosts when Tiago fired them in front after just 10 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo pulled Real Madrid level from the penalty spot in the 26th minute, but Arda Turan sealed a famous win with a goal 15 minutes from time.

Atletico surprised many when they won their first Spanish title since
1996 last season and they have since lost several key players from that team, including top scorer Diego Costa to Chelsea.

Therefore Simeone is keen to keep his feet on the ground in terms of what this new-look side can do in the remainder of this campaign.

He told Marca: “Arda coming on helped the way we played and [Antoine] Griezmann gave us some extra pace up front. I’m very happy with the work rate that the lads showed.

“The result doesn’t change our approach. We’re playing in our own league.

“We started well in the first half, but I wasn’t happy with the team after that. We lacked precision in our passing between the lines.”

But he added: “It’s important for our fans and the team that we’re rebuilding.”

Next up for Atletico is a Champions League group game in Greece against Olympiakos on Tuesday. Last season’s finalists are 1.97 to start with a win, while the hosts are 3.99 and the draw is 3.21.

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