Diego Simeone said the new Champions League format meant his side Atletico Madrid “absolutely had to win” their opening game, after Jose Maria Gimenez's 90th-minute header gave them a dramatic 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig.
Benjamin Sesko put Leipzig ahead on a counter-attack in the fourth minute at the Metropolitano on Thursday, before match-winner Antoine Griezmann equalised after half an hour and later set up Gimenez for his winner.
Atletico travel to Benfica in their next Champions League game, before facing Lille, Paris Saint-Germain, Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Bayer Leverkusen and Salzburg in the remainder of the new league phase.
“This format forces us to win without hesitation,” Simeone told Movistar. “Today a draw wouldn't help us much. This format forces us to try to win and, if we can't, we have to get something out of it.”
“Those [teams] “Whoever wins enough games will be in the top eight and will not have to play two extra games.”
The top eight teams from the league stage will automatically qualify for the Champions League Round of 16, while teams finishing between 9th and 24th will compete in two-legged playoffs to advance.
Simeone's Atlético made a strong investment in the transfer market this summer, signing Julián Álvarez, Conor Gallagher, Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth, with the aim of competing in the Champions League, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals of last season.
“Between the 65th and 80th minute or so it looked like the game was going to slip away from us. And then Giménez scored. The game was good and if we had drawn I would have said the same. We had different players who tried things, interpreted the game well and we got an important and necessary victory.”
“We tried until the last minute,” said Griezmann. “We know we have players who can score goals. We are on the right path, we will continue like this, but this is just the beginning.”
“MVP? My son will be happy, he loves playing with these trophies, he uses them as a goal!”
Atletico travel to Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga on Sunday, before visiting Celta Vigo next week and then hosting Real Madrid in the derby on September 29.
