Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has stated that his team has not lost all hopes in the La Liga race and that they will continue to fight till the very end despite losing 1-0 to Barcelona in the La Liga fixture on Sunday.

The capital club conceded a goal from their player who is on loan at Barcelona in person of Portuguese forward Joao Felix. Joao Felix scored the only goal that gave Barcelona the victory in the 28th minute of the first half of the game and celebrated wildly, drawing criticism from neutrals and Atletico Madrid fans.

The goal is his second La Liga goal in 12 games including two assists so far this season for Barcelona.

However, when asked after the game, Diego Simeone chose not to focus on that incident but rather take the positives from the game.

“I don’t talk about my rivals, I talk about my team and I keep the good things, I get along well with all of them. I have nothing against them. I love them very much and I hope they do very well… except against us. I leave here with a positive image of the second half. With peace of mind, knowing the team will always respond when it takes a hit. The season is long and we will continue to fight”, Simeone said.

The win gave Barcelona a three-point gap between themselves and Atletico Madrid who are in fourth position, the Blaugrana are in third and seven points behind first and second-placed Real Madrid and Girona respectively.

Barcelona will face surprise package, Girona who currently sit in second place in their next La Liga fixture at the weekend. Girona came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 at the weekend.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will face Almeria on Sunday before their final UEFA Champions League group-stage match next Wednesday against Italian side Lazio.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu