Atlético Madrid win third Europa League in club’s history
Atletico and Griezmann got the best of Olympique Marseille and win their third Europa League after 2010 and 2012. Griezmann was the best player on the pitch lifting his club to victory with a brace.
Marseille had chances but lost their best player due to leg injury, Dimitri Payet, with only 20 minutes in. For the most popular French club it’s a third straight loss in an European Final after losing in 1999 and 2004. They will likely have another chance at it next year but will need some help as Atlético Madrid was clearly the best team in Lyon.
Coach Atlético, Diego Simeone expresses his joy
“We’re very happy. We’ve been working very well these past years. We’ve always said the best way to get back to winning ways is by insisting. The coaching staff have been lucky enough to find very strong men and footballers who have been improving year after year.
I have a great communion with my players and I can be at home or in the hotel but they will still play the same way.”
Man of the match Griezmann added:
“When I left my home when I was 14, I wanted to experience moments like this. I wanted to win titles. This is my second following the Spanish Super Cup and hopefully I can win more.”
Olympique Marseille players stopped to the press booth to share a few words:
Defender Rami: “It’s a big disappointment, but afterwards we must not forget where we come from. We played against a magnificent Atlético de Madrid.
We lacked experience. In football, sometimes you do not have to play the ball. I knew the strengths of this team well. It would take advantage of any balls we lost. We saw a very dangerous Antoine Griezmann, who took advantage of that. He made the difference.
We must learn from this match. If we want to play the Champions League or the Europa League next year, we will have to go through mental challenges. We can still be proud of our journey. It was a beautiful day of celebration. We don’t need to throw everything in the trash.”
Midfielder: Thauvin
“We started the game very well. We then allowed that first goal and we had trouble picking our heads back up.Too bad. It breaks my heart. We had a beautiful journey.
Our season is still good. We would have liked to be rewarded with a trophy, but football is like this sometimes. We played against a big club. Faced with such challenges, we learned a lot and we must draw the best conclusions. Their experience was the difference, also the injury to Dimitri Payet. “
