Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone expressed frustration over his team's inability to capitalize on their chances in Saturday's heated LaLiga derby against Real Madrid, where Kylian Mbappé's goal negated Julián Álvarez's opening strike for the visitors.
Despite dominating the early stages of the match, Atletico struggled to convert their opportunities into goals. "We played a very good first half but we didn't have the clarity to take advantage of the chances we created," Simeone reflected during the post-match press conference. "We could have managed those opportunities better. That led to a draw despite the feeling that in many parts of the game it looked like we could have won it."
The match wasn't without controversy, particularly following Real Madrid's pre-match letter of complaint against Spanish league officials. Both teams had grievances about specific incidents during the game, including Atletico's protest over Dani Ceballos's studs-up challenge on Pablo Barrios and Real Madrid's objection to the penalty awarded to Atletico after VAR review of Aurélien Tchouaméni's foul on Samuel Lino.
Addressing the officiating, Simeone offered measured praise for referee Cesar Soto Grado's performance: "I thought the referee handled it in the best way he could. For some people, Ceballos deserved a straight red... At least I think he should have checked it in the VAR, but others may disagree... He made his decision and that his decision to make and VAR crew thought that they didn't need to call the ref up. In the end, I thought he did a good job overall."
The draw maintained Real Madrid's position at the top of LaLiga with 50 points, while Atletico remained in second place, just one point behind. Barcelona, currently third with 45 points, has an opportunity to narrow the gap in the title race when they face Sevilla on Sunday.
