The Barça knocks out Atleti for the League
Flick’s team pulls off an epic performance at the Metropolitano to defend their leadership and distance themselves from ‘Cholo’s’ team
FC Barcelona turned around a 2-4 victory this Sunday against Atletico Madrid on matchday 28 of LaLiga EA Sports held at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where the leader defended their position despite being 2-0 down with 20 minutes left, a tough blow for Atletico’s season in the same week as their Champions League elimination.
For a large part of the match, Diego Pablo Simeone’s team seemed to be getting the better of Hansi Flick’s team once again. ‘Cholo’s’ team put in a lot of effort, despite playing 120 minutes against Real Madrid and their exit from Europe on penalties, to neutralize Barcelona and hit them with two perfect counterattacks.
Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, who always seem to score when coming off the bench, delivered another blow to the Catalan team, as they did in the first leg of the league and in the Copa del Rey. However, Flick’s team rose from the canvas with two goals in five minutes, scored by Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, and punished Atletico with the same epic style in stoppage time.
The tragedy struck at the Metropolitano when Lamine Yamal, who had been well marked by Reinildo, ended his five-month goal drought in the league with the 2-3 deflected goal in the 92nd minute. The match was on a knife’s edge, with the uncertainty of a game that this season has been an exchange of blows.
The visitors started strong in pressing, but faded away against an unexpectedly fresh Atletico side in terms of defensive support and dangerous counterattacks. Lamine missed a clear chance early on, but from that moment on, Simeone’s team looked more threatening. It wasn’t the same Barcelona as in recent matches, and Atletico capitalized on it.
A goal kick from Oblak and, in three touches, Julian Alvarez found himself alone in the area and scored past Wojciech Szczesny just before halftime. The script remained red and white after the break, well-organized defensively and even taking a step forward. Barcelona took more risks, getting tangled in the local maze, and once again neglecting their defense.
In one of those moments, with Sorloth already on the field and a steal with the visitors in the opponent’s half, the Norwegian striker once again punished Barcelona, who seemed to stumble over the same stone for the third time. Flick’s team protested a previous handball, which seemed too far from the goal, but in the anger, represented by Inigo Martinez surpassing lines, they found Lewandowski’s fantastic goal two minutes later.
The Polish striker gave life to his team, and Ferran, just subbed in, headed in the 2-2 goal. The back and forth seen three weeks ago in the Copa gave Barcelona their chance, and this time, the Catalans finished the job. Sorloth and Lewandowski played their part in creating danger for their teammates, but it was Lamine who decided in stoppage time.
The Barcelona team celebrated the goal as if it were half the league, with the finishing touch from Ferran after great pressure from Raphinha, a Barcelona team eager for revenge that remains at the top. Flick’s team now has 60 points, the same as Real Madrid but with a game in hand, while Simeone’s team stays at 56 points after a tough week at the Metropolitano.
TECHNICAL FILE:
–RESULT: ATLETICO DE MADRID, 2 – FC BARCELONA, 4. (1-0, at halftime).
–LINEUPS:
ATLETICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Reinildo; Barrios, De Paul (Molina, min.79), Giuliano (Giménez, min.79), Lino (Gallagher, min.60), Griezmann (Riquelme, min.86), and Julián Álvarez (Sorloth, min.60).
FC BARCELONA: Szczesny; Koundé (Araujo, min.86), Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Balde (Gerard Martín, min.86); Casadó (Eric García, min.67), Pedri (Gavi, min.94), Olmo (Ferran, min.67), Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Lewandowski.
–GOALS:
1 – 0, min.45, Julián Álvarez.
2 – 0, min.70, Sorloth.
2 – 1, min.72, Lewandowski.
2 – 2, min.78, Ferran.
2 – 3, min.92, Lamine.
2 – 4, min.98, Ferran.
–REFEREE: De Burgos Bengoetxea (C.Vasco). Booked Reinildo (min.36) for Atletico. And Koundé (26), Balde (min.64), and Lamine (min.93) for Barcelona.
–STADIUM: Riyadh Air Metropolitano, 67,602 spectators.