"We have not had the season we wanted"

Rodrigo De Paul's superb volley earned Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday to virtually guarantee Champions League football next season.

Diego Simeone's side, fourth, move eight points clear of fifth-place Athletic Bilbao with just three games remaining. After the Copa del Rey winners drew against Osasuna on Satuday, Atletico left it late but were able to take advantage to move further clear.

When I'm on the edge of the box I've got confidence and I know I have to finish the move so there's no counter-attack, I knew I'd hit it if it fell to me," De Paul told 'DAZN'. "We need two more points to make (Champions League qualification) mathematic.

"We have tried in every way to improve away from home but we haven't done as well as we wanted to. We have to take care of the good things, which is how strong we are at home, and improve away," he said in assessment of his team's season.

"In the end not everything has an explanation in football, that's why football is so beautiful. There are always a lot of factors. We have done worse than we did at home. We'll have to keep looking for explanations and be much more even when we're away from home," he added.