Atlético Madrid dominated the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie against Lokomotiv Moscow. The 3-0 win over the Russian side began with a Saúl Ñíguez golazo and Diego Costa added the second before Koke applied the icing to the cake in the 90th minute.

After the match, Diego Simeone, debutant Axel Werner and Saúl commented on how they felt the game went.

Diego Simeone

On the match:

“We were superior during the whole match. In the first half we weren’t set up well enough to respond to some of their counters. In the second half, we were more calm and our football was more continuous.

“We knew they played with a certain style, but we played a great match. We didn’t let them play the way they wanted to.”

On the debut of Axel Werner:

“He’s a young goalkeeper and he transmits confidence and calm, even though they didn’t take many shots. We trust him. He’s a goalkeeper with a good present and an even better future.”

On whether the tie is over ahead of next week’s return leg:

“We will have to adapt to the conditions over there [in Moscow] and prepare for the return leg so that this result tonight holds up.”

Axel Werner

On his debut:

“I’m here to play when the team needs me and lend a hand whenever I have to.

“I thought the team played well tonight, the defense did great and that was the reason why I didn’t have much to do.”

“Since the day I arrived, the technical staff has shown faith in me. I’m happy at Atlético, both when I am called on to play and when it’s someone else’s turn.”

Saúl

On the match:

“The most important thing is that we got a great win. We played well and the result is a very positive one.

“It was a very complete match. To be able [to go to Russia] with a 3-0 win is very positive. To have kept a clean sheet is very good.”