Atletico Madrid forward Giuliano Simeone spoke of his pride following Wednesday’s 2-0 first-leg victory over Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final. However, he warned that "few results are truly decisive" when facing the "Blaugrana".

"Against Barca, very few leads are safe. They are a top side with world-class players," he told 'Movistar+'. "We put in a massive shift to get this result. Now we have to keep our heads down, focus on ourselves, and keep improving to reach our ultimate objective."

The Argentine was full of praise for the team's display: "We set out to play the Atletico way. Sometimes the opponent makes that difficult because they are so intense with their press, but we tried to hurt them where we knew we could. We're delighted with the performance."

Giuliano noted that despite Cubarsi's dismissal in the 44th minute, the game plan remained unchanged. "Our approach would have been the same whether we had a man advantage or not; it’s all about adapting to what the game requires," he affirmed.

Recalling the incident that led to Cubarsi's 44th-minute red card—which occurred after a challenge on Simeone himself—the "Rojiblanco" attacker explained: "Julian played a ball over the top and I knew I was goal-side. I haven't seen the replay yet, but I think I crossed his path. I was clean through against Joan Garcia and I felt contact. The referee originally gave a yellow, but VAR upgraded it."

He also hailed the stunning strike from fellow countryman Julian Alvarez: "It was a worldie. He is an incredible asset for Atletico. I’m thrilled for him because I see how hard he works and how humble he is. He is vital for us."

Later, in the mixed zone, Giuliano Simeone addressed the bizarre incident involving Musso and Pubill. "Marc (Pubill) was taking the kick. He picked it up to set it," the Argentine clarified. "We never use Juan (Musso) for goal kicks. I don't know if you were watching closely, but I don't think Juan took a single one. We never take goal kicks with the goalkeeper; we always do it with the defenders."

To conclude, when informed by a journalist that officials had suggested it should have been a penalty and were surprised it wasn't reviewed, the 'Rojiblanco' forward responded with a laugh: "Well, in that case, I've no idea why he didn't give it."

Giuliano

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