Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Kevin Gameiro 'decisive' in Atletico Madrid win vs. Depor - Simeone

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone called substitute Kevin Gameiro "decisive" after Sunday evening's 1-0 La Liga win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.

A scrappy first half saw Atletico lose both Augusto Fernandez and Jose Maria Gimenez through injury, and Depor's Faycal Fajr sent off just before the break after picking up two yellow cards in seven minutes.

Atletico turned the screws after the break, Antoine Griezmann had a goal ruled out for offside, Yannick Carrasco hit the crossbar from 20 yards and Angel Correa was denied by Depor keeper German Lux.

The pressure finally told on 70 minutes when Gameiro found space down the right hand side of the box and fired in a low cross which Griezmann knocked home from close range.

After a result which lifts Atletico to third in the table, two points off leaders Real Madrid and one behind second-placed Barcelona, the Colchoneros coach told BeIn Sports after the final whistle that Gameiro had given his team something different after replacing Carrasco at the hour mark.

"In the first half it was difficult to get into the rhythm we needed in the game, it suited them better," Simeone said. "The injuries also affected us, two forced changes in the first half. We had chances, but we could not taken them.

"The entry of Gameiro was decisive, above all in the aerial play. He has just arrived with us, is settling in, and gives us something different."

Simeone was also asked about his decision to start young striker Correa, keeping €30 million signing Gameiro and veteran Fernando Torres on the bench.

"We were looking to get people between the lines, to move the ball quickly," he said. "It worked well in the move when Griezmann went through. Angel got better as the game went on. These are steps we have to take, if we want to help grow a player with an enormous future. He has all the talent to do different things in the game."

Atletico are the only one of the 32 teams playing Champions League football next week to have a league game as late as Sunday, with Bayern Munich at the Calderon on Wednesday evening, but Simeone declined an opportunity to complain about the fixtures set by La Liga's authorities.

"We must now have a good plate of pasta, a good homemade flan, and sleep well," he said. "Tomorrow we will have a good recovery session. Tuesday we will train in the evening to plan what we will do in the game. Then sleep well Tuesday night and Wednesday at 20:45 to play without any excuses."

Atletico confirmed during the game that midfielder Augusto had suffered a potentially serious ligament injury in his right knee, while defender Gimenez is also definitely out of Wednesday's game with Bayern having strained a hamstring muscle.

"The news is not good [on Augusto]," Simeone said. "The doctors will talk better about it. We will leave them to explain."

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