Following Atletico Madrid's opening goal in their 2-0 win over Juventus in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, cameras caught Diego Simeone throwing his hands around his crotch area in celebration. He has now explained his actions.
Click through the gallery above to see pictures of Simeone's celebration!
It looked like a frustrating night for Atletico and Simeone, as the home side missed several chances to go ahead, while they also had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR.
However, their luck changed when defender Jose Gimenez latched on to a loose ball in the box to put Los Rojiblancos in the driving seat.
As the Wanda Metropolitano erupted, Simeone threw his hands towards his groin area in an unorthodox celebration, and later explained his actions were inpsired by bravery.
"I did it as a player in Lazio-Bologna and I did it again to show our fans that we have cojones," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"It wasn't aimed at the other team, I was turning towards our own supporters.
"It's not a nice gesture, I'll admit, but I felt the need to do it. It was such a tough game, we fought so hard and Diego Costa worked really hard when he wasn't 100 per cent fit. I had to show what I was feeling.
"I can only apologise if anyone was offended, but I did it from the heart."
Diego Simeone celebrating Atletico's goal. pic.twitter.com/ffxEwEp5rK
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) February 20, 2019
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Diego Godin sealed Atletico's 2-0 win over the Italian giants just four minutes later, with the second leg of the last-16 taking place on 12 March.
Which team do you think will advance through to the next round? Let us know in the comments section below.
