Simeone’s side ended with nine players and could have had others sent off as they adopted an overly physical approach in their quarter-final clash at the Calderon which the Catalan side won 3-2 to advance 4-2 on aggregate.
“It was an extraordinary first half and we showed a real rebellious attitude that was great,” Simeone told reporters.
“In the second half I told them not to take risks and concentrate on not conceding goals. I thought it was the best decision for the team and the club after the way the first half went.”
Fullback Juanfran Torres, who had a running battle with Barca Neymar during the game, defiantly said they would continue to play the same way.
“It doesn’t bother us what people say. What I see is a lot of envy,” he said.
“Our way of playing is to be intense and strong and we are not going to change. People should stop saying what is not true but we are just concentrating on ourselves."
A bad-tempered match boiled over after the referee blew forhalftime with Juanfran and Fernando Torres confronting Neymar before other players got involved.
Atletico captain Gabi Fernandez did not come out for the second half after being given a red card following an altercation in the tunnel.
The fouls and the arguments between players continued after the break and Arda Turan was very lucky to stay on the pitch after he launched his boot in the direction of the assistant referee after not being awarded a free kick.
Miranda was dismissed six minutes from the end after receiving his second yellow card.
Atletico knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League last season on the way to the final and drew with them in the last match of the campaign to win La Liga but Luis Enrique’s side have had the edge recently.
Simeone’s team are still well placed in third position in La Liga, four points off the pace, and in the Champions League last 16.
Their tactics on Wednesday showed they will do whatever is necessary to keep challenging the traditional dominance of Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
(tim.hanlon@gmail.com)
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