Where the stars rise. Or, having beaten Atlético Madrid, where the stars rose. That was at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday night as Team K League earned a memorable victory over the La Liga giants. KLeague.com spoke to Anton Kryvotsyuk and Gerso Fernandes afterwards and also heard from the two managers, Diego Simeone and Hong Myung-bo to hear what they had to say about the occasion.

Anton Kryvotsyuk - "We controlled the game"

But what was it like playing against the La Liga giants?

"I think everyone got great experience because everyone knows who is Atlético. It's it was a good match for everyone and we get success, we win. So everyone is happy.

"You saw who played in the first 11 for Atlético Madrid. I think everyone understands that the second half was like I can say the second squad. So for us, it was much easier to play against them. We controlled the game. I just did my job, so what I can do more. I just scored a goal and give some confidence to the team and we start to play much better after this.

"I didn't feel any pressure because I told you before also I had many experience on the international level. So for me, it's a match as always.

"I think everyone today tried to give the best, 150%. And I'm happy, I'm proud of the team. Everyone gives 150% and we get success.

"Great performance (by Daejeon teammate Lee Chang-geun). I think after the first half, Diego Simeone bring him to the next match for Atlético, you know? I'm proud of him. I'm happy for him. Great experience, great performance."

Gerso Fernandes - "It was an honour to be selected"

"Yeah, definitely. It's always a great experience in events like this. Yes, I did enjoy it very much. 

"It's always exciting to play against a team like Atlético Madrid. So I'm glad that things happened in a good way and I was able to help the team to get the victory.

"It's a bit of fun, it's just to have fun, and to do your best, because there are people coming here to see you, so you're trying to do your best for them, so that's what I try to do.

"After the last game for the league, we had a few days off and that helped to relax and be ready for this game. So the schedule was much better this year, definitely. It was an honour to be selected.

"I feel like our goalkeeper (Lee Chang-geun) in the first half was definitely the MVP of this game, he played very well."

Hong Myung-bo - "Don't give up"

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Hong said:

"First of all, I just said not to give up. While we had started to find out feet a bit when using the flanks, I also told them to focus on set pieces. We didn’t have much time to prepare. We felt we would be able to score in the second half so I just told them to be calm and play that way."

Diego Simeone - "It was a very good game"

Speaking to the media in the post-match press conference, Simeone said:

"If you saw the game then you’ll already know but in the first half, it was a very good game. We tried to take the initiative and created a lot of opportunities. Of course, we weren’t able to make the most of some of those chances. We didn’t create as many chances in the second half and after that, we saw a lot of direct play and were hit on the counter. We gave away a penalty and lost our balance, that’s what decided the game I think."

Although Simeone had made it clear he wanted to talk about his players, not those of Team K League, he did remark on which caught his eye the most:

"I might get his name wrong if I try to say it but number 33 (Bae Jun-ho), his play between the lines was impressive."