Real Madrid left back Marcelo has said he was unimpressed with the way Atletico de Madrid played in the Copa del Rey first leg on Wednesday night.
Diego Simeone’s men won 2-0 at the Vicente Calderon to put one foot in the next round. The second leg takes place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening.
But Brazil left-back Marcelo said the best team lost on the night and that there was only one team trying to play football. He accused Real’s cross-city rivals of using dirty tricks to con the referee and slow the game down.
In quotes published by AS, Marcelo said: “Atletico played the long ball and used dirty tricks. This result is very difficult to overcome. We started well but again, set-pieces… The defeat is not fair. The pitch was difficult. Their game is only to play the long ball.
He added that despite the setback, the players would do all they can to overcome the deficit next week to progress in the competition they won last season.
“There is another game and it is in our stadium. Let’s see what the coach will tell us to counter that kind of football. There are 90 minutes left and we will fight on our home soil and attempt to get back into it.”
