Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone took the blame on himself after his side squandered a 2-0 advantage against Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick on a historic night in Turin to knock out the Spanish side 3-2 on aggregate and progress into the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition.
“It was not about commitment, about work or effort. Juventus were better and deserved to win the game. They pushed us back. You must congratulate a rival when they play a game like that and you are beaten like today,” Simeone told reporters after the match.
“We made many mistakes, for sure – but I mean me, not the players. They were better tactically and on second balls. That is why they won the game.
“I think Juve’s greatest strength is their pressing capability. Even when we did escape their pressing, we weren’t good enough on the second balls.
“Juventus played in a similar way to what we did in the first leg. We struggled and they deservedly go through to the quarter-finals.”