Diego Simeone has defended Federico Valverde's tactical foul for Real Madrid on Sunday night, despite it possibly costing Atletico Madrid the Spanish Super Cup final.
Valverde was shown a red card five minutes from the end of extra time for hacking down Alvaro Morata who was one on one with Thibaut Courtois.
The game was forced to a penalty shootout and 'Los Blancos' ran out comfortable 4-1 winners.
Humorously, the Uruguayan midfielder was named Man of the Match and it's a decision fellow countryman Simeone agreed with.
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"I think the award for the best player makes perfect sense because Valverde won the game with that action," Simeone said in a post match press conference.
"It was the most important play of the game. If the play continued, it was possibly a goal. I told him not to worry, that he did what he had to do. We will see how many days [suspension] they [Spanish FA] give him."
The game was a rather drab affair in Saudi Arabia but Zinedine Zidane's side kept their metal in the shootout as the Frenchman won his ninth consecutive final as a manager.
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One player who stood out in the shootout was Brazilian teenager Rodrygo.
The 19-year-old smashed his penalty past Jan Oblak in the Atleti net and many didn't expect the youngster to step up.
Following the game, he revealed teammate Toni Kroos was a big advocate for the youngster to take a spot kick.
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"When they were deciding who should take one [penalties in the shootout] I waited a bit, as there were others with more experience. Kroos said that I should take one. He insisted, saying 'Rodrygo, Rodrygo.'"
Kroos explained why he told the youngster to step forward to take one of the penalties, saying, "I know Rodrygo takes penalties very well. That's why I told him he has to take it."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics:Β Football, Atletico Madrid, Federico Valverde, Real Madrid, Diego Simeone
