Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone played the pantomime villain at Emirates Stadium and had one last act left in front of the Arsenal fans after the match ended
Diego Simeone appeared to deliberately walk on the Arsenal crest at Emirates Stadium in the aftermath of Atletico Madrid losing the Champions League semi-final second leg.
Simeone, 56, seemingly did so barely a week after taking umbrage about Ben White doing likewise after the first leg in Spain. Giuliano Simeone initially confronted the Arsenal defender, then his coach and father moved him away, before repeatedly patting White on the back while inserting himself into the still-ongoing conversation between them.
The England international did not take kindly to the intervention. Other players and staff then became involved to diffuse the situation.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Unlike on that occasion, Simeone doing the same in north London did not cause a scene. Seemingly, no one on the Arsenal staff noticed.
Footage filmed by a fan in the stands appears to show the Atletico coach making a beeline for the badge. That contrasted with other members of his staff.
At least two people in the Spanish club’s branded clothing walk down the left side of the tunnel. Seconds later, Simeone steps on it with his left foot and is also looking down as he walks over it, holding the end of his black tie in his left hand.
Find the best flight and Budapest hotel deals with Booking.com
Various Prices
Booking.com
Book here
Arsenal have booked their place in the Champions League final and fans can support the team in Budapest with a flight and hotel deal from Booking.com.
Several players also walked around, as did the aforementioned staff members. Jose Maria Gimenez noticeably did not, although he stepped on the badge while walking beside Julian Alvarez rather than in a single-file line like most of their teammates.
Despite the ill feeling during the final stages, Simeone spoke magnanimously afterwards. He said: “If we got knocked out, it’s because our opponents deserved to get through.
“They took their chances, including their big chance in the first half, and they deserved to get through. If you ask me how I feel, I feel calm and peaceful. The team gave absolutely everything.
“In the first leg, we could have won it in the second half, but we weren’t clinical enough with the situations that we were in.
“We did well defensively in the first half, but not so well going forward – but we improved in that area. We had chances, things could have gone our way, but they didn’t.”
On their opponents, he said: “I think Mikel Arteta has done an incredible job at Arsenal. He’s been trying to get to this point for a long time, to reach the Champions League (final) and to win the league.
“They have incredible financial power, and that’s linked to what they’re doing. I’m really pleased for them, they deserve it, they’ve been working very hard for many years.”
