Simeone said: "We started well, we had a good first half, with Barrios' goal that could have been a goal, Morata's goal, Oblak took Fermn's goal in the first of them, until Joao's goal. The second goal took us directly out of the game and they they forcefully took advantage of their situations, congratulations to them, they were better.
"Since we won the League it has always been difficult for us: the League of 14, last year outside the Champions League in November... others improve and we also have to improve.
"We had started with a good rhythm, we were organized, but they were forceful. The second goal hurt us a lot and took away our energy to continue competing."
On the Champions League, he added: "The group clearly knows what the first objective is year after year and we will work accordingly to seek it, as we have always done."