Sunday 25 September 2016 20:39, UK
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone had plenty to be unhappy about despite seeing his side move up to third in La Liga with a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
Antoine Griezmann got the decisive goal - his fifth of the season - when he applied the finish to Kevin Gameiro's cross with 20 minutes to go, but the victory came at great cost to Atleti.
Augusto Fernandez came off in the 17th minute after a heavy challenge by Depor midfielder Celso Borges and it was later confirmed that he had suffered a complete rupture of his right anterior cruciate ligament, meaning an extended spell on the sidelines.
Uruguayan defender Jose Gimenez was also forced off in the first half with a groin injury to provide another headache for Simeone ahead of a testing Champions League tie against Bayern Munich in midweek.
The sending-off of Deportivo's Faycal Fajr on the stroke of half-time opened the game up for Atletico, whose coach Simeone told Marca: "We played at the pace our opponents wanted.
"It was a classic, hard, intense game. We struggled to find the pace we needed and the whole thing started to get complicated.
"Gameiro played well and was instrumental in the build-up to the goal. He's still learning and needs more time. But he has plenty of talent and speed and we hope he keeps progressing to give us an attacking alternative."
Simeone said his players would now have to cope with the quick turnaround before the Bayern game on Wednesday evening.
"Now they have to eat a plate of pasta and a good flan, and after a good sleep do some regenerative training," Simeone said. "On Tuesday we will train and prepare for the game on Wednesday without excuses."
