Koke says fourth UCL semifinal with Atlético is like a ‘first date’

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/koke-says-fourth-ucl-semifinal-133946863.html","headline":"Koke says fourth UCL semifinal with Atlético is like a ‘first date’","datePublished":"2026-04-28T13:39:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T13:39:46.000Z","keywords":["Champions League","Koke","Atletico Madrid","the Champions League","Arsenal","Barcelona","Pablo Barrios","Griezmann"],"description":"The midfielder spoke to the media on Tuesday","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Leveridge","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Leveridge","url":"","jobTitle":""},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"SB Nation","url":"https://www.sbnation.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":494,"height":100,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-03/9b02bb90-059c-11f0-bfff-8a21e79a5ff9"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/x.m5mJ1F20vFxNor71CiRw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/sb_nation_articles_115/10c5c6c76b375a362f94d3bf275ade68","height":800,"width":1200},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/x.m5mJ1F20vFxNor71CiRw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/sb_nation_articles_115/10c5c6c76b375a362f94d3bf275ade68"}Story byKoke says fourth UCL semifinal with Atlético is like a ‘first date’Atletico Madrid's Spanish midfielder #06 Koke gestures during a press conference on the eve of their UEFA Champions League semi final first leg football match against Arsenal at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on April 28, 2026. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty ImagesSam LeveridgeTue, April 28, 2026 at 1:39 PM UTC·3 min readBefore the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Arsenal, Atlético Madrid captain Koke spoke to the media to address the big occasion.“As the day gets closer, I get nervous and my stomach churns. It’s kind of like your first date with a girl you’ve just met,” Koke explained in his media availability on Tuesday. “But once you get to the game and start warming up, it all goes away. I feel the same excitement and anticipation as I would for a final.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }“Then I stay calm to play the game, it’s only football, and I try to remain composed.”Koke on Pablo Barrios“It’s not just me who loses out. The team does too. He’s a crucial player with a tremendous present and future, though he’s had bad luck with injuries. We lose his energy, his footballing ability and his composure. I’ve spoken to him and said what needed to be said, and I hope he’s back as soon as possible.”Koke on the balance between intensity and composure“Extremely important. We saw that in the quarterfinals against Barcelona. These matches are decided by small details. The level of the teams is incredibly high, and you have to be attentive to everything, keep a cool head to know when to attack and when to fall back, and maintain maximum concentration because it will come down…

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