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Martino and Simeone full of pride

Both coaches were full of praise for their teams after the Camp Nou draw, with Diego Simeone describing his Club Atlético de Madrid side as possessing "huge heart".

Martino and Simeone full of pride
Martino and Simeone full of pride ©UEFA.com

Gerardo Martino, Barcelona coach
I am full of pride in the way in which we played. If we continue like this, there are chances for success. Our intention in every game is to go out and win, so we will have to go [to Madrid] and do what we always try to do. After [Atlético's] goal you saw the best of Barcelona. In the second half we moved the ball about well and played with depth. There were also good moves in the final third and several shots [on goal].

We played as a team and added a lot of intensity. I cannot say anything about [the injury to Gerard Piqué] yet. Sometimes unfortunate things happen in games. [His replacement Marc] Bartra did very well when he came on. The tie is finely balanced. I do not know if the factor of playing at home second counts for anything, but like I said, everything is evenly balanced.

Diego Simeone, Atlético coach
I am really happy for Diego and for the goal he scored tonight. He needed that. He came on in a very important moment in the game. He will be fundamental for us from now until the end of the season. Diego Costa did not want to come off the pitch. We will see what [type of injury] he has tomorrow – we are hoping for the best.

Tonight we played against a great rival. We have a team with huge heart and it made me so happy to be able to compete against these opponents. It was a passionate affair. From a tactical point of view, it was a beautiful game. Both teams played to their strengths and stayed true to their style. The Vicente Calderón will be bursting with atmosphere [in the return leg].