Parejo: "In the second half we were the better side"

The scorer of a sensational free kick at the Wanda Metropolitano, Dani Parejo spoke after the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid and opined that he felt Valencia CF were good for the victory.

The point
"It's a difficult ground to visit. We started fairly well, with intensity and possession of the ball. After the 15-20 minute mark, they pressed us more and spent a little more time in our half, eventually scoring from a penalty. In the second half we were by far the better side in every way: In terms of play, chances, possession... We managed to equalise and we had the chance from my shot. This point is a good one, because this is a tough ground, but looking at how the game ended we could have taken the three points."

Added players in the midfield
"The coach felt that was best for the team. In the first half, Thomas was more involved in play and found space, so at the end I was a little further forward to shut off those situations. I think that in the second half the team loosened up and believed in ourselves. We moved forward, competed and took a point, but I think that we could have earned all three."

Set piece goals
"The statistics speak for themselves. Atletico are one of the teams who concede the fewest goals. We scored against them from a free kick and also hit the crossbar, as well as Oblak making a great save. They were also struggling to score against us, and their goal came from a penalty. It was a competitive, attractive match, and now we turn our focus to Wednesday and the Champions League."