SPORTS
The France international produced an ice-cool finish beyond Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda to put Atletico in charge and he started and finished an exquisite move which effectively killed off the French side early in the second half.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone praised the "decisive" Antoine Griezmann after his two goals helped down Olympique de Marseille 3-0 in the Europa League final on Thursday and tried to convince the striker to resist the lure of Barcelona.
The France international produced an ice-cool finish beyond Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda to put Atletico in charge and he started and finished an exquisite move which effectively killed off the French side early in the second half.
Captain Gabi's late strike rubber-stamped Atletico's third Europa League triumph since 2010 and gave Griezmann his first major trophy with the team. "Griezmann today confirmed what he has been doing year by year. He was decisive in the most important moment in the game," Simeone told a news conference.
"I hope that he is happy to play for us. He's played three finals with us and won two. Now we are in the UEFA Super Cup, so he could play four finals with us. So on a sporting level we aren't so far from the clubs that have more power than us."
Griezmann has been Atletico's leading scorer in each season since he joined from Real Sociedad for 25 million euros ($30 million) in 2014, and his double took him on to 29 goals in all competitions this campaign.
Griezmann had hogged most of the attention before the final amid speculation he is about to end his four-year stay at Atletico to move to 25-times Spanish champions Barca when his buy-out clause drops to 100 million euros.
"It's a decision that he will have to come to. Whatever he decides I'll be happy because he has given us his life," Simeone added."If he stays I'll be delighted and if he leaves I'll be grateful for everything he's done for us.He's given us a lot, he gave us a leap in quality as a team. If he stays we'll keep growing because we are destined to keep growing."
The 27-year-old Griezmann, who collected the man-of-the-match award, declined to discuss whether he would stay or leave Atletico at the end of the season."I think now is not the moment to talk about my future, I just want to enjoy myself after my performance, after winning a trophy and I want to celebrate with the fans," Griezmann told reporters.
"Simeone has taught me a lot, he made me become a better player and I hope I can keep improving every year, in every game. I owe a lot to Simeone and my team mates."
The striker missed a penalty in the 2016 Champions League final against Real Madrid which his side lost in a shootout and that made him more determined to perform against Marseille. "It was a dream of mine to win a trophy with Atleti, with Simeone and with my team mates," Griezmann added. "It wasn't meant to be in the Champions League, but I said to myself that tonight was going to be night and so it was."
‘Punished without reason’: Mark Zuckerberg's Meta fires employee day before bonus for sharing...
59 trips To Bengaluru, Mumbai: Two foreign women arrested with Rs 75 crore drugs at...
India overtakes UK, France and Russia in global power rankings, only behind...; check list here
Azim Premji's Wipro rejigs business lines, new structure from April 1 to focus on...
This Bengali star joins Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Priyadarshan's Bhooth Bangla
PM Modi on strained relations with Pakistan: 'Time and again, they decided to be at odds with India'
'It was 360 turnaround': Hardik Pandya reflects on Wankhede redemption ahead of IPL 2025
Munawar Faruqui opens up about his marriage with Mehzabeen Coatwala, says 'I was exhausted, but...'
What is solo polyamory? A new relationship trend that rejects love and commitment
Dupahiya star Sparsh Shrivastava experiments with 'didi braids': 'It's boring to be same'
Tom Cruise, Ana de Armas spark dating rumours with their London outing; see viral photos
'A true gift to India': Gautam Adani says world-class Navi Mumbai airport to be inaugurated in...
Viral video: Lion cub mischievously wakes up sleeping parents, internet amused; WATCH
Apple to begin production of THIS iPhone accessory at Foxconn's Hyderabad plant from...
Costliest home game ever: PCB spent Rs 8690000000 for match against New Zealand in Champions Trophy
Meet the New ISS Crew: NASA, JAXA, Roscosmos astronauts arrive aboard SpaceX Dragon
Voice artiste mimics Shinchan, Shinzo's voice to sing 'Uyi Amma', WATCH viral video
Janhvi Kapoor condemns 'appalling and enraging' Vadodara car crash: 'Sick to my stomach'
Heatwave scorches THIS Indian state, seven districts record over 40 degrees C temperatures
Malaika Arora stuns in body-hugging all-black latex outfit, fans can’t stop gushing over her look
'Elon Musk Khan': Tesla CEO's doppelganger spotted in Pakistan enjoying meal with friends, WATCH
Abhishek Bachchan reveals why he avoids doing sexually explicit films: 'I don’t like showing...'
Mom-to-be Kiara Advani flaunts pregnancy glow, calls it...
51 killed, 100 injured after fire breaks out at nightclub in North Macedonia
Salman Khan’s bold fashion choice in Mumbai leaves fans baffled, calls a 'fashion disaster'
Narayan Murthy's Infosys hit again, company loses Rs 44226 crore in just 4 days after...
Meet man, only Indian to own a train, not Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Narayana Murthy, he is...
Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai backs three-language policy, calls it ‘competitive advantage in...'
'People who have no control...': Virat Kohli takes subtle dig at BCCI's family restriction rule
When Pakistani actor Nabeel Zafar advised Sania Mirzo to 'remarry', old video goes viral
‘Hindi hi bolenge’: Man refuses to speak Marathi at D-Mart in Pune, viral video sparks heated debate
Memes flood social media after New Zealand demolish Pakistan by 9 wickets in 1st T20
Meet Anita Anand and Kamal Khera, two Indian-origin ministers in Canadian PM Mark Carney's cabinet
Starbucks ordered to pay Rs 4347112500 to delivery driver due to...
Alia Bhatt says she reads these books to Raha, reveals 'I go for therapy...'
Is Elon Musk's Starlink a game-changer for India?
Meet Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion who made his Ferrari debut in Australian GP
Meet man, founder of Rs 1.5 lakh crore company, has no phone, drives Rs 6 lakh car, his business is…
US President Donald Trump mulls travel ban on over 40 countries; What does it mean for Indians?
Sunita Williams’ Return to Earth: Crew transition and journey back from ISS
Awaiting the Pull of Gravity: Sunita Williams' health in microgravity and coming readjustment
When Sobhita Dhulipala was replaced with a dog in a brand shoot in Goa
Maharashtra: Man suffers heart attack while driving car, rams into multiple vehicles in Kolhapur
Harmanpreet Kaur hugs Nita Ambani as MI lifts WPL trophy, viral moment steals the show
Gold smuggling case: BIG action against Ranya Rao's stepfather, DGP K Ramachandra Rao; sent on...
Who is Lex Fridman? Meet American podcaster set to release 'epic' 3-hour podcast with PM Modi
'Love for Bharat unites us all': Amit Shah gifts guitar to Mizoram's 7-year-old singing prodigy
Canada's BIG move: PM Mark Carney reviews purchase of American F-35 jets amid tensions with Trump