Atletico Madrid were knocked out in the Copa del Rey semifinals on Wednesday after a 1-0 defeat against Barcelona for a 5-4 aggregate loss but coach Diego Simeone was proud of his side's overall performance in the season.
Eliminated from the Champions League, Atletico suffered another massive blow with their Cup exit as they extended their winless run to six matches. All signs now point to a fourth consecutive trophy-less season as they trail leaders Barcelona by six points in the LaLiga standings.
Simeone, however, said he was still content.
"The team has competed very well so far, in the Champions League we have competed very well, in the Cup too, we are having a good league season and we will continue, approaching it match by match," Simeone said at a press conference.
"We are trying to keep improving to get closer and closer to the teams above us and to accept the place we are. I have no other thought than to continue with the same work, focusing on continuing in the best way possible in what is ahead of us in LaLiga, with our focus on Sevilla who are our next rival."
It seems like a tough pill to swallow to Atletico fans as they looked like a real contender for three major titles when they were in a two-month unbeaten run just four weeks ago.
Our journey in the Copa del Rey comes to an end. pic.twitter.com/mcaCv1INyx
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 2, 2025
They were head to head with Barca and Real on top of the LaLiga standings and secured direct qualification to the Champions League round of 16.
But they crashed back to Earth after a heartbreaking home loss on penalties to local rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League last month followed by a 4-2 home defeat against Barca a few days later in LaLiga when they allowed their rivals to fight back from two goals down.
With elimination from the Spanish Cup on Wednesday, their last hope is LaLiga, where they are miles away from Hansi Flick's Barcelona who are top with 66 points, three ahead of Real, with third-placed Atleti six further back in the title race with nine games left.
"In football there are good moments and others that are not so good. There are moments when you control the game and others when you control the opponent. And during the season you have to know how to manage the times you are going to have, good, regular, bad, and let's hope game by game to finish in the best possible way," Simeone said.
"We didn't play a good game today but that is nothing to be sorry about. There are no reproaches, no complaints as their competitive spirit and desire were always there, all the players are giving everything they can give. I hope to continue in the same way."
Barcelona will face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on April 26 at Seville.