Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has played down the potential impact of the Anfield atmosphere on next month’s Champions League second leg against Liverpool, joking that the stadium would fail a UEFA inspection.
Atletico came away with a narrow 1-0 victory over the runaway Premier League leaders in their last-16 first leg tie on Tuesday in front of a boisterous crowd at the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico’s home since 2017.
It was only Liverpool’s third defeat in all competitions this season and sparked scenes of jubilation from Atletico players and fans at the final whistle.
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Atletico boss Diego Simeone joked that his side “started beating Liverpool at the roundabout” after fans lined the streets outside the stadium, lit flares and chanted at great volume as Liverpool’s bus arrived for the match.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who was unhappy with some aspects of Atletico’s approach to the game, warned after the game that the tie was still alive, saying: “Welcome to Anfield. It is not over yet."
The famous old ground, Liverpool's home since 1892, has witnessed some famous European comebacks in recent years, none more so than last season, when the Reds overturned a 3-0 first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona 4-0 and reach the Champions League final.
Though a new Main Stand was opened in 2016, the other three stands have not seen major redevelopment since the 1990s, leading Cerezo to aim a dig in the Merseysiders' direction as he attempted to play down the aura surrounding the stadium.
“He who strikes first strikes hardest. To see our fans so committed to the team was amazing. It was absolutely spectacular,” he told AS. “Anfield is a great stadium but it’s old. It probably wouldn’t pass the UEFA inspection if it had to do it.”
Reflecting on the game, Cerezo felt the Rojiblancos had hit back at critics who had written off their chances in the tie given their recent struggles in La Liga.
“I always sleep well. There are days when you taste glory and others when you don’t. According to the media, a week ago we were dead and buried and now we are very much alive,” he added.
“They [Liverpool] had gone 30 games unbeaten and people were saying they are the best team in the world. We are happy with the result but we still have another game to go. But we have rediscovered ourselves and that is the best news.”
Cerezo also stressed that Diego Simeone will remain as coach for the long term after some had questioned his future following a run of seven games without a win in all competitions.
"We have an excellent coach who will be with us for a long time. And we also have an excellent team,” he said.
