Atlético temperament pleases Falcao and Co
Friday, February 17, 2012
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Two-goal Falcao praised Club Atlético de Madrid for not yielding to Miroslav Klose's opener for S.S. Lazio, while Diego felt the Rojiblancos' "great character" was key to their 3-1 win.
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After scoring twice to earn Club Atlético de Madrid a 3-1 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie against S.S. Lazio, Falcao lauded his team-mates for "refusing to lose heart" after falling behind to Miroslav Klose's opener.
Falcao, Atlético forward
It was a great performance. We refused to lose heart when we went 1-0 down and we did well to score three goals and pull off an important victory. It was not a decisive win and we have to be wary in Madrid. I do not have a secret for goalscoring in this competition; it is always my intention to score, whether it's in Europe or the league. I go out there with that positive attitude and I am always ready to score.
Diego, Atlético playmaker
We were playing against a very difficult side so we are very happy with the victory. We are improving because we are playing with more ruthlessness. Our concentration is better over 90 minutes and that makes a difference. We must carry on like this.
They were tough opponents. We had to really focus on our game plan and work hard, and we did really well to create the chances from which we scored in a really demanding match. We started badly but showed great character, and when we equalised the game changed.
Adrián López, Atlético forward
We made life complicated for ourselves by going behind, but the team reacted well and 3-1 was a great result for us at a tricky place like this. We played with a good rhythm, we were quick to win the ball back, quick with our passing, quick on the counterattack and scored three good goals.
Matuzalem, Lazio midfielder
Tonight was a harsh blow because it's galling to lose like that after taking the lead. We need to learn how to defend a lead better – we lacked concentration. We took the lead and then conceded two stupid goals, but we just have to think ahead, not back, and focus on our next match.
Our morale is fine because we pulled off an incredible win [3-2 against AC Cesena] last week with ten men. We paid for that a little tonight because we expended a lot of energy against Cesena, so there's no reason we can't play well next time.