Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone refused to blame the refereeing for his side’s defeat to Real Madrid in the derby clash. The officiating, as is often the case, was centre stage, as Atletico complained of a penalty not given, and Real Madrid about Fede Valverde’s red card.
Los Colchoneros appealed for a spot kick after Marcos Llorente was taken out by Dani Carvajal after he got his shot off in the first half, while Alvaro Arbeloa said he disagreed with the referee’s assessment of Valverde’s sending off. Simeone said he was too far away from the penalty decisions to make a fair assessment.
“I don’t think that’s why we didn’t win. We had opportunities to create good chances but we didn’t take advantage of them. We deserved at least a little more,” he told Marca.
🚨 Atlético Madrid are not happy with Munuera Montero’s refereeing at the Bernabéu last night and also don’t understand how Real Madrid are complaining about Valverde’s red card.
The reality is that the team left dissatisfied with the referee… though they say they expected it.… pic.twitter.com/qavRDYR6Fd
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 23, 2026
“I don’t think it interfered with the game. We could have done much more; we could have defended their goals better and done more in attack. We have opponents who play well, and they’ll punish you for any mistake you make.”
Simeone: ‘We could have controlled the game more’
In terms of what his side could have done to win the game, Simeone lamented the fact that Real Madrid were in the driving seat after the opening goal.
“We needed to control the game more, attack differently. We weren’t able to put all that into practice at the crucial moment. I’ve already explained for the fourth time what I think happened in the match.”
Simeone pleased with Ademola Lookman performance
The scoring was opened of course by Ademola Lookman, who combined well with Giuliano Simeone to open up the Real Madrid defence.
“He’s been growing, working very well, giving us different things, and we’re helping him develop defensively because he’s already been working on that. He’s a kid with a huge heart and a real desire to learn. Hopefully, he’ll continue to give us important things like he did today.”
Since his arrival in January from Atalanta for €35m, Lookman has made 14 appearances, scoring five goals and giving four assists. Earlier this month Diego Simeone had commented that Lookman needed to do more defensively, but his offensive output has already won him the affection of the Atletico fans.
