Simeone delighted with 'exceptional' Atletico

Diego Simeone praised his "exceptional" Atletico Madrid side after their 2-0 Champions League victory over Galatasaray in Istanbul.

Antoine Griezmann's double early in the first half put Atletico well in control of the Group C clash and though substitute Umut Bulut did threaten for Gala on occasions, the Liga side were well worthy of the points.

"We played remarkable football in the first half, we were exceptional," said Simeone, who also had special acclaim for strike duo Griezmann and Jackson Martinez.

"We nearly threw it away at the end [of the first half], because we were poor in our work-rate at that time.

"But, in the second half, we played according to the score and we controlled it well.

"I thought that Antoine and Jackson were very good also, they both worked very hard. The whole team was terrific, because it was a tough match."

The result marked a spirited response to Atletico's 2-1 league loss at home to Barcelona on Saturday.

Next up for Simeone's side in Europe is the visit of Benfica at the end of the month.