Atlético Madrid pulled out another important victory on Saturday night thanks to a firts half goal from Kévin Gameiro. The match helped Atlético solidify second place against challengers Valencia (two points clear) and Real Madrid (10 points clear). After the match, the boss and his goalscorer talked about a gritty performance.

Diego Simeone

On the match:

“It was an important win against a very tough rival. I think we played well in the first half and had chances after we scored. But with the 0-1, there’s always a sense of danger.

“Eibar put the pressure on us. They’re a good team, they play well.”

On the superb play of Jan Oblak:

“He played the way he always has to. He worked just as well as the other players, and the team benefits from collective effort. This starts with the forwards, then the defence and then Oblak with his talent solves problems as his did today.”

On the new signings and the competition in the squad:

“The arrivals of Diego Costa and Vitolo are empowering the team. The team benefits from the competition, today Correa started and Carrasco returned. We have many options and hopefully we are all equal in thinking that the team comes first.”

On the next match against Sevilla:

“Now, we have our Copa match against Sevilla. We have to keep doing what we’re doing and we want to keep improving as a team.”

Kévin Gameiro

On the match:

“We played well. We knew that it was going to be difficult to win here, but we did what we had to do and we won. We’re second and we keep on winning points. We worked hard and won the match.”

On his chemistry with fellow French international Antoine Griezmann:

“We play well together. We understand each other well on the pitch. If we continue like this, it will be good for us and the team.”