Diego Simeone hailed his Atletico Madrid side after Thursday's win against Hapoel Tel Aviv sealed their qualification to the Europa League knockout stages.
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Defending champions Los Rojiblancos grabbed a 1-0 victory at the Vicente Calderon, Raul Garcia netting the only goal after just seven minutes.
"First of all, today we have taken a step forward, because we are again in the knockout stage. It is not a minor detail," Simeone was quoted as saying by Marca.
"We gave responsibility and minutes to many players who do not play very often, and you have to give them credit, because it is they who have put us in the next stage and the situation is beneficial for everyone.
"It is normal that our fans always want to see the players they like the most, but I have to try to find the best balance in order for us to have a successful season."
He also stressed the importance of Atleti's swift start to the match and was particularly enamoured with Adrian Lopez's performance.
He added: "We started well and found a goal against a team that fielded five defenders.
"We did not have the necessary intensity and aggressiveness in the last minutes to close out the game a little better. Adrian, however, tried really hard and had a very good game."
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