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Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone expects his side will have to suffer when they travel to face Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final next week after picking up a 2-1 win at home on Wednesday.
Atletico, who are looking to secure a first Champions League semi-final spot in seven years, controlled the first half at the Metropolitano stadium and led 2-0 through goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino.
But, they had to soak up heavy pressure late on from Dortmund, who got a goal back through Sebastien Haller and then twice hit the woodwork.
“[We played] with a good pressure, we stole the ball, we forced the opposing team almost in the first half not to have goal situations in the game,” Simeone told reporters.
“Now we’ll go to their stadium knowing that we’re going to find a strong team, a team with a lot of people who are going to take it to us, to attack. We will have to suffer and take advantage of the spaces.
“Seeing these first elimination ties, in the four [quarter-final] matches, it’s not easy to win, so we’re happy to have won.”
Meanwhile, Dortmund boss Edin Terzic rued his team’s poor start but was impressed with the way his players responded to being two goals down at half-time.
“It remains open,” he told DAZN after the defeat in Spain. “We envisaged a very different start to the game. We have a lot of lads with us who are playing in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.
“The first 30 minutes were not good enough. We gave them the opportunity to get in front of goal very easily twice. If you make that many mistakes, then it should be over.
“But afterwards we showed what we’re capable of. What was important was that we showed a reaction. We won the second period. We were very good in many areas then. Now it’s a case of taking the positives.”
Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Emre Can added: “It’s not easy to play football here because they defend very well. The goal was very important. We could’ve been finished off in the first period, they devoured us in the challenges.
“We showed spirit, fought back and could’ve even levelled at 2-2 at the last moment. We spoke about it in the half-time break and showed a different side of ourselves in the second period. If we show it next week too, we have a lot of hope. It won’t be easy but we believe in ourselves. We can do it!”
Atletico next host Girona in La Liga on Saturday before travelling to Germany for the second leg against Dortmund on April 16.
Source: independent.co.uk
