Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said there were "no excuses" but he remained "proud of his team" after their La Liga title challenge ended with a 2-1 defeat to Levante on Sunday evening.
Atletico seemed set for an easy victory on just 82 seconds when Fernando Torres clipped the ball confidently into the net from Koke's superb assist, especially given Levante were already relegated and had nothing to play for.
But the home side's striker Victor Casadesus bulleted in a header for 1-1 at half-time and Atletico were caught hunting a winner late on when substitute Giuseppe Rossi coolly finished on the break for 2-1.
The defeat left Atletico on 85 points, down to third place, behind Barcelona on 88 and Real Madrid on 87. A losing "head-to-head record" against Barca means their title challenge has ended on the penultimate weekend.
Asked if his side had paid for the effort put in midweek in getting past Bayern Munich to the Champions League final, Simeone told his postgame news conference that his main feeling was pride at how his side had kept in the title race for so long against the much wealthier Barca and Real Madrid.
"There are no excuses," he said. "We are finishing a fantastic, enormous, season, and we have been just one game away from challenging Barcelona and Real Madrid.
"That is what makes me happy, as other times we have been out of the race with 10 weeks still left.
"We lacked a little, obviously. It pains me to be out, but I am happy to have fought this far. I am proud of what we have done."
Simeone said the problem was not that his team did not look to score a second goal when 1-0 up so early, while paying credit to Levante's professionalism.
"I don't believe so," he said. "We began very well, but we did not have continuity in our games, and Levante played very well.
"They defended well, they did not let us have many chances, apart from Griezmann and Savic.
"Levante showed great nobility, they were already relegated, and they kept fighting until the end. That is how great football is, a team who has played in the Champions League semifinals can lose."
Atletico have not won at Levante since 2007 -- with two draws and four defeats since, often at key moments of the season.
"Apart from one game when we drew 1-1 on the opening day, all the others we have come here needing something," Simeone said.
"When we lose against Levante it has always been as they deserved it. And that speaks well of their team."