Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone was left with a ‘bad taste’ in his mouth as a last-ditch equaliser saw his side drop two valuable points.

The coach blamed the late draw against minnows Alaves on a lack of precision from his side, who without superstar French forward Antoine Griezmann, wasted numerous opportunities in front of goal.

Atletico looked to have guaranteed the three points when they were awarded a penalty in stoppage time of the contest. Debutant Kevin Gameiro duly slotted it away, but Atletico could not hold onto the lead for the remaining minutes as Manu Garcia salvaged a point just 15 seconds after the re-start.

‘At the start of the game we went all out because the team looked very strong, with enthusiasm and a lot of energy,’ Simeone told Goal.

‘We tried by all means to win the game, and I am left with a bad taste in my mouth because we had it won,’ he added.

Simeone did praise the intensity of his side but was critical of their inability to finish off chances. Having dropped two points, the side are already chasing the likes of giants Barcelona and Real Madrid – both of whom  recorded comfortable victories.

‘The team had a good intensity to win the game. We lacked a bit of tranquility to finalise the plays. We’re left with very little for what we offered.

‘A point is never enough,’ the coach concluded.

Atletico are next in action when they face Leganes at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque on Sunday.

Kick-off is at 22:15.