Joyful Simeone hails Atletico’s latest European march

Madrid: Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone lauded his side’s determination to keep making their mark on the Champions League after they reached the quarter-finals for a fourth consecutive season.

Simeone’s men have lost out in the final to cross city rivals Real Madrid in two of the past three seasons.

However, they have another chance at glory after the 0-0 draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday sealed their place in Friday’s draw 4-2 on aggregate.

“Firstly there is joy,” said Simeone.

“It shows the great effort the club and, above all, the players have made in the way they have competed and given their heart and soul in the past four years.

“Everyone has done their bit to be amongst the top eight teams in Europe.”