Barcelona ascended to the second position in La Liga standings following a commanding 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid. Goals by Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, and Fermin Lopez ensured a noteworthy triumph for Barcelona on Sunday, marking them as the inaugural team to defeat Atletico Madrid at Estadio Civitas Metropolitano this season.
This victory propels Barcelona two points ahead of the formidable Girona in the league table, while maintaining an eight-point gap behind the dominant frontrunners, Real Madrid.
How the game unfolded
The initial stages of the match saw Atletico Madrid asserting dominance, employing a high pressing strategy that troubled Barcelona significantly. This tactical approach resulted in a notable opportunity for Pablo Barrios within the first ten minutes, as a misjudged clearance by Marc Andre ter Stegen provided him with a chance. Despite controlling the ball, Barrios narrowly missed the target with a curling effort from outside the penalty area, skimming wide of the far right post.
Despite enduring a period of complete dominance from Atletico Madrid in the opening 40 minutes, Barcelona displayed glimpses of resurgence towards the end of the first half. Raphinha and Fermin Lopez both squandered opportunities, failing to capitalize on half-chances that could have potentially given Barcelona an unmerited lead.
Subsequently, Barcelona took the lead through Joao Felix, following a sublime sequence of play. In a fluid movement, initiated by Ilkay Gundogan bypassing two Atletico Madrid midfielders, the ball found its way to Robert Lewandowski on the left flank of the penalty area. Opting against a direct shot, Lewandowski intelligently redirected the ball towards loanee Felix, who calmly slotted it into the corner of the net.
Early into the second half, Lewandowski extended Barcelona’s lead to 2-0 with a goal of his own. The Polish forward expertly flicked the ball over Reinaldo’s foot in the box, receiving a pass from Raphinha before executing a skillful swivel and drilling the ball into the far corner of the net.
Atletico Madrid came close to narrowing the deficit shortly after, as Marcos Llorente’s volleyed effort forced Ter Stegen into an impressive save, diverting the ball away from the danger zone.
In the 65th minute, Barcelona sealed their victory with a remarkable third goal. Building on his recent scoring form in the UEFA Champions League, Fermin Lopez replicated his midweek success by rising highest in the box to head home a perfectly delivered cross from Lewandowski.
The situation deteriorated further for Atletico Madrid during stoppage time, as Nahuel Molina received a straight red card for fouling Vitor Roque as the last defensive player, compounding their misery at the end of the game.