Diego Simeone Insists He Is 'Happy' Despite Atletico Madrid Finishing Second in UCL Group

Diego Simeone has insisted that he is still happy with his Atletico Madrid side after they finished in second place in their Champions League group behind Borussia Dortmund.

Atletico's destiny was in their own hands going into their final group match against Club Brugge, knowing that a win would send them through to the round of 16 as group winners. However, Los Colchoneros were only able to muster a goalless draw in Belgium, which meant they had to settle for second.

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Speaking after the game, Simeone was quick to discuss how pleased he was for Atletico to progress into the knockout stages in the first place.

“I’m happy because we’ve reached the last 16 and that’s very important for the club,” he told Movistar+, as per Football Espana.

“The club needed to be in the last 16, so we have to be happy about that. Now we have to wait and see who we get and keep trying to improve.

"We don’t know how the draw will pan out, but it’ll be what it’ll be."

The game itself was a frustrating one from Atletico's perspective and their lack of creativity in the final third proved to be their downfall. Despite the result, Simeone claimed to be satisfied with his side's hard work and endeavour.

“It was a good game from us. We were the better team in the first half and had chances to score.

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“The second was more even, but I leave here with the peace of mind that that the lads gave everything and only lacked the precision to score a goal. I’m happy with how we played and only lacked precision."