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ESPN staff 6y

Diego Simeone won't say if Atletico deserved to beat Eibar

Diego Simeone declined to say whether Atletico Madrid deserved to win a tight game on Saturday after his side held on to beat Eibar 1-0.

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak was called upon a number of times to preserve Atletico's lead after Kevin Gameiro scored the opening goal in the first half.

But Simeone said that it was a tactical decision to "take refuge" upon going ahead, and shrugged off questions about Atletico's merit in taking all three points.

"I will never speak about justice, whether I win a match or lose a match," Simeone said after the game. "The result is what it is.

"The situations in front of goal are important for us to know that the team is in good shape."

Oblak produced a brilliant save to deny Joan Jordan's header, then was again alert with 11 minutes left to stop a header from Paulo Oliveira after a corner, and showed fine reactions once more to keep out a low effort from Takashi Inui.

But Simeone was careful not to give his goalkeeper full credit for the result.

"He played the way he always has to," Simeone said. "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."

Simeone also said he was thankful to have more options in attack after the arrivals of Diego Costa and Vitolo, who did play as Angel Correa got the start.

"The arrival of Costa and Vitolo is empowering the team," he admitted. "The team benefits from the competition, today Correa started and [Yannick] Carrasco returned.

"We have many various options and hopefully we are all equal in thinking that the team comes first."

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