Virgil van Dijk scored a stunning header in stoppage time from a corner, sealing a thrilling 3-2 victory for the reigning Premier League titleholders in their first Champions League match of the season.
This marked the fifth straight game in which a late goal secured an exciting win for Arne Slot’s men. ..Continue Reading
But the mood wasn’t shared by everyone—especially Simeone, the Argentine coach once involved in the infamous incident that led to David Beckham’s red card during the 1998 World Cup.
Simeone reacted by approaching Liverpool fans near the visitors’ bench, before the referee dismissed him, forcing him to watch the remainder from the stands.
Earlier, Simeone and his players had celebrated in front of the Liverpool faithful after a deflected shot brought the score level at 2-2, despite initially falling behind by two goals.
Aged 55, Simeone later defended his emotional reaction in his press conference, asserting he had been “insulted”.
He stated: “They always talk about taking care of each other, but they insult you throughout the entire match and you can’t say anything because you’re the manager.”
“My reaction was unjustifiable, but do you know what it’s like to be insulted for 90 minutes, to turn around after the opponent scores and still be insulted? It’s not that easy.
“[The referee told me] he understood me. I hope Liverpool can improve that aspect and that when they identify the person who did that, there will be consequences.
“There were insults throughout the match, including gestures. It’s clear that I’m the one who has to stay calm, I have to put up with the insults, the gestures and any situation. Because I’m in a position where I have to put up with it.
“I’m not really going to get into the exact nature of the insults. I don’t want to get involved in that. I have got to stay in my place, I know what went on behind the manager’s bench. I can’t solve society’s problem in one press conference. I have to live with it as it exists all over the place all of the time.”
On X, the Liverpool fan who taunted Simeone—known as Jonny Poulter—shared a video of the clash, playfully asking: “Do I get the assist?”
He also claimed that someone from Simeone’s backroom team spat at him.
He continued: “Something I want to get off my chest in regards to what happened last night with Simeone,” adding, “I think he’s a bit of a coward, when he went and did his press conference after the game, the Spanish media asked what was said, whether it was racist, regarding the Falklands War and all this rubbish.
“There was nothing racist said, no mention of the Falklands War by me or anyone else. But the fact he was asked and didn’t answer and just walked out has left it open to speculation across the world.
“I’ve had messages on every platform of people asking what I said. I never said anything apart from [gesture with middle finger] ‘f*** off, we’ve won’…as you do.
“When they scored the equaliser, his assistant was giving it to us and he was called a ‘sh**house’ and whatever else. And his assistant manager then came over and spat at me.”
Atletico reduced the deficit to 2-1 just before the interval thanks to Marcos Llorente, though some argued the goal might have been offside.
With just under ten minutes to play, Llorente struck again—his second deflected effort—bringing the match level.
But the late drama continued as Van Dijk secured victory with a header in the 92nd minute.
