Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League leaders suffered a Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Diego Simeone has paid a warm tribute to Liverpool’s supporters after his Atletico Madrid team sealed a stunning Champions League victory at Anfield on Wednesday night, while speaking to Los Colchoneros’ official website.
When Roberto Firmino netted his first goal on Merseyside soil for 13 months to put Jurgen Klopp’s side 2-0 up at the start of extra time, it looked for all the world that Liverpool would keep their European crown for another few weeks at least.
But then came a fightback that few saw coming.
Marcos Llorente had never scored a single Champions League goal for Atletico but, in the space of eight devastating minutes, he had found the back of Adrian’s net twice. And then, with seconds remaining, Alvaro Morata stunned Anfield into silence with a breakaway winner as Simeone’s bloodthirsty army stomped into the quarter-finals.
But while Klopp was left ashen-faced at the final whistle, taking aim at Atletico’s famously reductive game plan, Simeone was full of the joys of spring in his post-match presser.
“I’m very happy for the team and the club. We’re once again amongst Europe’s eight best teams. It was a game that will go down in history against an extraordinary opponent at a beautiful stadium,” he said.
“Their fans supported them like our fans did at the Wanda Metropolitano.”
In the end, Liverpool vs Atletico became one of those ‘famous European nights at Anfield’ for all the wrong reasons.
With the Reds all-but wrapping up the Premier League title and bowing out of the FA Cup last week, an otherwise brilliant campaign looks set to stumble to a rather underwhelming finale.
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