Simeone: We are ready to chase what we have been looking for for years

Atletico Madrid players will play in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

"Colchoneros" lost to Barcelona (2:1) at home last night, in the second leg of the quarter-finals, but advanced thanks to a 2:0 victory in the first leg.

Barça led 2-0 last night with goals from Lamine Jamal and Ferran Torres, and the final score was set by Ademola Lukman.

"I'm really emotional when I see that we're still competitive. Players changed, we started from scratch many times, and yet we're among the top four in Europe. We played against a team that plays exceptionally, with incredible speed, it's difficult to control anything at all. After 0:2 we were good as a team, with individual mistakes. We managed to get back into the game and stay calm. The goal for 1:2 was great. In the second half it was more even. The entry of Niko, Baena and Serlot brought us energy, and they were losing that speed, so they were left with crosses to Araujo and Lewandowski as their main option," said Simeone.

Both goals were scored by Barcelona after mistakes by Lenglet, who was very uncertain.

"We spoke before the game. He didn't have to prove anything. I know him, he's extraordinary, a great professional, he has his virtues, but also things he can improve. A mistake was made and it's not easy to move on, but he showed composure and authority in a difficult match. He got better and better as the game went on," Simeone pointed out.

The Argentine knows that Barcelona must attack.

"Every time we play against them, we know that there is only one way to be better than them, and that is to attack them. They had more of the ball this time, before it was more even. If you don't attack them, you will lose. They are extremely dangerous when they are the only ones attacking. We knew what chances we had. In the Cup we played a great first half here, so we had to defend there. In the first match of the Champions League we took advantage of key moments and that 0:2 gave us space for such a difficult second leg. The way Julián, Griezmann and the others ran, and all the work of Llorente, Nahuel, Koke, the great performance of Mateo and the contribution of the players from the bench – all of that brought us enormous strength," Simeone pointed out.

Atletico are once again among the top four teams on the continent, for the fourth time in the Simeone era.

"Yes, the fourth semi-final. Playing in the Champions League semi-final, that's really beautiful. We move forward with faith and enthusiasm. We know our strengths and weaknesses. We have great faith in ourselves and we are ready to chase what we have been looking for for years. It doesn't matter who the next rival is," Simeone concluded.

Atletico Madrid will play the winner of the semi-final between Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon. The second leg is tonight in London, with Arsenal winning the first leg 1-0.