On Sunday evening at the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico Madrid took the lead against Barcelona through Julian Alvarez in the last minute of the first half, and when substitute Alexander Sorloth doubled it in the 70th, the Rojiblancos appeared to be cruising towards a hugely important triumph over the Catalan giants.
However, Barcelona showed the full extent of their might in the final 20 minutes, with Robert Lewandowski (72′), Ferran Torres (78′, 90+8′), and Lamine Yamal (90+2′) netting for the visitors, making sure the three points in this clash between La Liga title contenders went with them when they left the capital.
Teams
Atletico boss Diego Simeone had to make do without Angel Correa for this game, with the forward serving a five-match ban for his red card and abusive language towards the referee against Getafe the previous week. It will have come as a blow, but Atletico at least had no injury absences to work around.
With Jan Oblak in goal, centre-backs Robin Le Normand and Clement Lenglet were flanked by fullbacks Reinildo Mandava and Marcos Llorente. A flat four-man midfield was formed by Rodrigo De Paul and Pablo Barrios in the middle, and Giuliano Simeone and Samuel Lino wide. Alvarez was joined by Antoine Griezmann in attack.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, defender Andreas Christensen, and midfielder Marc Bernal were absent through different injury problems for Barcelona.
Wojciech Szczesny was between the posts. Pau Cubarsi paired up with Inigo Martinez in the heart of defence, flanked by Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde. Marc Casado and Pedri were tasked with doing the hard work in the middle of the park. Dani Olmo was chosen ahead of Gavi for the No. 10 role. Yamal attacked from the right, Raphinha from the left, and Lewandowski through the middle.
Brief recap
The hosts took the lead on the stroke of halftime through Julián Álvarez, who netted his 11th league goal of the season after Antoine Griezmann launched a swift counterattack and fed Giuliano Simeone, whose precise pass set up the Argentine to score.
Diego Simeone’s men doubled their advantage in the 70th minute when substitute Alexander Sørloth produced a brilliant close-range finish following an assist from Conor Gallagher.
However, Barcelona responded almost instantly, with Robert Lewandowski meeting Iñigo Martínez’s cross to pull one back.
The visitors drew level in the 78th minute when Ferran Torres headed home from Raphinha’s well-placed delivery, and Yamal completed the turnaround in stoppage time with a stunning long-range strike past Jan Oblak.
Torres then sealed the victory for Barcelona, netting his second of the night to put the result beyond doubt.
Yamal will get even better
Yamal has been one of football’s greatest sensations since breaking into Barca’s senior squad at the age of 16. Set to turn 18 soon, the teenage winger continues to dazzle and presents a proper nightmare for any defender facing him.
Reinildo actually did as well as anyone against him in this game, but there’s really no stopping Yamal when he gets into his stride on the right flank. The way he controls the ball at full pace – considerable pace at that – is mesmerizing even for the onlookers, let alone his direct opponents on the pitch.
In all competitions this season, at a club like Barcelona, Yamal has 13 goals and 17 assists in all competitions – again, he’s yet to turn 18. These numbers, considering the fact that Raphinha has been playing the season of his life on the other flank, not to mention the class of Lewandowski, tell a remarkable tale indeed. It’s debatable if even eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi was this good at this age.
And still, there are a few aspects of the game where decisions on the ball betray Yamal’s age. Very rarely, but he sometimes tries too much even for his talent, dribbling past one or two opponents with ease, only to find himself closed down by several more. This minor, barely notable flaw in his game, will surely vanish with experience, and the thought we could soon be seeing an even better Yamal is frightening.
Title race in Barca’s hands
Obviously the most important aspect of this match is the impact it has made on the title race in the Spanish top flight. It’s now in Barcelona’s hands – Enrique’s side lead arch-rivals Real Madrid on goal-difference, with both teams on 60 points, but the Blaugrana have a game in hand on Los Blancos.
Atletico remain in with a shot, sitting third with a four-point gap separating them from the top two, but this defeat, following close on a vastly disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of the city rivals, will have left scars to mend over the upcoming international break.
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