Atletico Madrid's Koke and Raul Garcia secured a 2-0 victory at Malmo for the Group A leaders in their Champions League clash on Tuesday after the Swedes spurned several excellent chances.
Having soaked up considerable pressure, Koke broke the deadlock for last season's runners-up on the half-hour, sweeping Juanfran's low cross from the right into the net with the inside of his heel after a swift counter-attack.
Raul Garcia killed the game in the 78th minute, firing home Filip Helander's botched clearance.
"Obviously, it's important to play nice football but what makes me proud is when we win," he told reporters. "That is what I want to give the fans, the team, the supporters - victories."
Atletico lead the standings with nine points from four games followed by Olympiakos Piraeus and Juventus on six points after the Italians beat the visiting Greek side 3-2 on Tuesday. Malmo's defeat leaves them bottom with three points.
Having demolished the Swedes 5-0 at the Vicente Calderon, Simeone's Atletico side added their first away win in this season's competition by hitting Malmo on the counter attack.
The Swedish champions did create plenty of openings as they poured forward in search of an equaliser, with Isaac Kiese Thelin, Emil Forsberg and Anton Tinnerholm all going close.
PENALTY APPEAL
Malmo coach Age Hareide thought they should have had a penalty when Markus Rosenberg's second-half free kick appeared to strike an arm in the defensive wall but referee Mark Clattenburg waved away appeals as the captain fired the rebound onto the post.
"What they did to us they do to most teams but that is no comfort to us," Hareide told a media conference.
The second half exploded into life with a flurry of yellow cards for Atletico with Miranda, Diego Godin and Juanfran all booked in a three-minute spell, leading to nervousness on the Atletico bench before Raul Garcia struck the second goal.
"For 20 or 25 minutes at the start of the second half Malmo pressed well," Simeone said. "They didn't create any really clear chances apart form the one off the post, but when our 2-0 goal came it was a relief and we could relax."
Simeone praised the Swedes and said that they still had a chance to go through.
"Anything can happen. No team has lost the chance to win or to go through. You have to be very attentive and take the next match as if it was a final."
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