Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid: Diego Simeone Asks for Nicolo Barella to Be Taken Off

Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid: Diego Simeone Asks for Nicolo Barella to Be Taken Off

Martin Moses
updated at February 21, 2024 at 10:20 AM
In this article:
Nicolò Barella logo
N. Barella
Inter Milan logoMItaly logo
UEFA Champions League logo
UEFA UCL
Europe
Inter Milan logo
Inter
Italy
43
Atletico Madrid logo
Atletico Madrid
Spain
40
  • Diego Simeone hilariously gestured to the Inter Milan bench to take Nicolo Barella off
  • The Atletico Madrid manager took his side to the San Siro for a Champions League clash
  • The hosts have a slim advantage over the Spanish side courtesy of a Marko Arnautovic goal

Diego Simeone was spotted asking for Nicolo Barella to be taken off when Atletico Madrid met Inter Milan in a Champions League tie on February 20.

The two teams met at San Siro Stadium for the first leg of the Round of 16, with the hosts gaining a marginal advantage ahead of the return leg.

Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan,Nicolo Barella
Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone, gestures during their Champions League clash against Inter Milan on February 20. Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini.
Source: Getty Images

Marko Arnautovic scored the only goal of the game in the 79th minute. Nerazzurri captain, Lautaro Martinez, found the Austrian with a pass inside the area, leaving him with the simplest of tasks of putting the ball past Jan Oblak.

At one point, Atletico Madrid head coach, Simeone, called for the substitution of Barella as the game went on. The Inter Milan midfielder rubbed his calf near the touchline where the Argentine manager stood.

Simeone then hilariously called for a stop in play, signalling that the opposition player needed to be substituted.

His opposite number, Simone Inzaghi, did not heed the advice, with Barella proceeding to complete the entire 90 minutes of the contest.

The two sides will meet at Wanda Metropolitano on March 13 for the return leg.

Inter Milan finished second behind Real Sociedad on the head-to-head rule, according to UEFA regulations. The Rojiblancos, meanwhile, were first in a group with Lazio, Feyenoord, and Celtic.

Kanye West attends Inter Milan vs Atletico

In the same game, pop star, Kanye West surprised fans after showing up in his usual bizarre outfit. The American rapper was among the fans at San Siro Stadium alongside his wife, Bianca and fellow musician, Ty Dolla Sign.

Sports Brief reported he covered his whole head with a mask and did not take it off for the entirety of the game. The 46-year-old recently featured Inter Milan ultras in his new album Vultures, on the tracks Stars and Carnival.

Authors
Martin Moses photo
Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)
Tags
Diego Simeone