Article by Romeo Ene – Published Monday, March 23, 2026, 3:46 p.m. / Updated Monday, March 23, 2026, 3:46 p.m.
His coach Atletico MadridDiego Simeone (55 years old), refused to blame the referee after the 2-3 loss to Real Madridin the 29th stage of La Liga. The Argentine technician preferred to focus on the game of his own team and on the things that could be done better.
Although his team led 1-0 and came back from 1-2 down, they conceded the 3rd goal in the 72nd minute and went home without any points.
A key moment came in the 52nd minute when Brazil's Vinicius converted a shot from 11 yards to make it 1-1. However, Simeon claims it wasn't the refereeing that was the problem Sunday night.
Diego Simeone, statements after Real Madrid – Atletico: “We deserved more”
“I don't think we lost because of the refereeing. We had good opportunities and situations, but we didn't capitalize on them. We deserve at least a little more,” said Simeone, quoted by sportal.bg.
The Atletico coach also spoke about the evolution of Ademola Lookman, who he noted for his recent progress: “Lookman continues to grow, he trains very well and he has brought us a plus.
We help him develop in the defensive phase as well, because he puts in the effort and is willing to learn. He is a player with a big heart and I hope he will continue to bring us important results”, said Simeone about the Nigerian striker.
Asked if referee Jose Luis Munuera's decisions influenced the game, Simeone dismissed the idea. “I don't think refereeing played a decisive role. We could have done a lot more.
We had to defend better against their goals and be more effective in attack. We have quality opponents and if you give them spaces or opportunities, they will punish you”, explained the coach.
We had to control the game better and build our attacks differently. We failed to do that in the important moments,” Diego Simeone concluded.
Following this result, Atletico Madrid remain in 4th place in La Liga, with 57 points after 29 rounds. For Simeone's team, the duel at home in the championship with Barcelona follows.
The up-to-date standings in La Liga
