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Koke spells out Atlético relief at Malmö

Club Atlético de Madrid are clear in Group A after a 2-0 win at Malmö FF but Koke, despite a "beautiful" goal, was just relieved and Anton Tinnerholm rued missed chances.

Koke congratulates fellow scorer Raúl García
Koke congratulates fellow scorer Raúl García ©AFP/Getty Images

Atlético won 2-0 at Malmö but goalscorer Koke admits the visitors had it tough
Atleti are three points clear in Group A but Diego Simeone is not relaxing
Anton Tinnerholm feels he had more chances than Atlético's team put together
Next games: Malmö v Juventus, Atlético v Olympiacos (26 November)

Koke, Atlético midfielder
It was a very different game [from two weeks ago]. We knew that at home they would press us a lot more, that it would be a difficult game swinging from end to end where they would use long balls to hit their strong forwards. Our team worked hard offensively and we managed to make the most of our chances.

[My goal] was a beautiful move. We broke away on the counterattack. We know that Juanfran likes to bomb forward, he's nearly a winger although his position is full-back. I know that well, and I know where to position myself and just had to put my foot in the right position to score.

Mario Suárez, Atlético midfielder
We knew it would be tough, that they haven't been beaten at home for a very long time. [If they can make the final again] The past is the past. We will know by March or April how we compare to last year.

Diego Simeone, Atlético coach
This was a great game for us, against great opponents. It's a difficult place to come but we played really well. We knew what the game was going to be like, because they have been performing very well up until today. We didn't expect anything less and we had a clear concept of the game.

It is very easy to judge someone based on their name but Malmö are a great team. They have great intensity and plays very good football. I knew it was going to be a difficult game and Malmö played a good game, which made us even better. The second goal really settled the game and was the killer. Malmö played very well in the second half and while they did not create a lot of chances except for the shot that hit the post, the second goal was of course a relief.

Raúl García salutes the travelling support
Raúl García salutes the travelling support©AFP/Getty Images

We played very well in the first half and in the second half we suffered for 15 or 20 minutes. It's important to be able to change and adapt, but our main style never changes. This was a very difficult game and I am very happy that we very able to adapt to the challenge and win this game.

I'm proud when we win. Of course it is important to play beautiful, but what makes me proud is to win games. This is a very strange group, so I don't want to relax, many things could still happen. We need to win our next game.

Anton Tinnerholm, Malmö defender
We worked like a team, we had chances to score but the ball didn't go in. They had fewer chances than us but they scored. Sometimes football is simple – they scored and we didn't.

It felt like I had more chances than the whole Atlético Madrid team. But I couldn't force the ball into the net. The first was the closest one, I think a defender saved it on the goal line. The second one, the goalkeeper took it and the third went just over the crossbar.

We weren't happy with the second half over in Madrid. Today we worked like a team, we put in a great performance but it's not enough.

Malmö's Robin Olsen was the less busy keeper
Malmö's Robin Olsen was the less busy keeper©AFP/Getty Images

Åge Hareide, Malmö coach
We played well and that's why we're disappointed not to get anything from the game. We played a really good second half with a couple of good chances. It's like that in football. At this level we have to be perfect both offensively and defensively. Hopefully we will learn something, but of course when we have more possession than Atlético then we are on the right track.

We said beforehand that we should play on the edge, regarding both our attitude and our tackles. We wanted to show that this is our castle. We had to pay respect to Atlético, but we also wanted to show that we can play football.

We now have to win the next game and hope Olympiacos lose in Madrid. But of course the last game will be difficult, not least due to our away form. I am very happy about our performance today and we showed a lot of energy. We have to do that in the rest of the matches as well.

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