Atletico Madrid, Celta Vigo draw 1-1 amid Simeone's praise for ten-man squad

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone praised his team as 'gladiators' following their 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo in LaLiga, where they played nearly the entire match with 10 men after midfielder Pablo Barrios was sent off just seven minutes in. Despite falling behind to a penalty from Iago Aspas, Atletico equalized late with a goal from Alexander Sorloth, keeping them just one point behind league leaders Real Madrid, who also drew on the same day. Simeone rated his players' performance a perfect 10, highlighting their defensive resilience and ability to control the match despite being a man down. The draw left Atletico in second place with 50 points, while Barcelona sits third with 48 points, preparing for their upcoming match against Rayo Vallecano. Simeone expressed confidence that the challenging experience would strengthen his team moving forward. He acknowledged the difficulty of playing almost the entire match with one less player, noting that it was a rare and tough scenario.