Barcelona 4 – 2 Atlético Madrid
Barcelona made a stunning comeback, winning 4-2 after being 2-0 down in the 71st minute on Atlético Madrid’s home turf.
Just days after their disappointing Champions League performance, Barcelona was initially stunned by two goals before halftime. Julían Álvarez gave Atlético the lead, and Alexander Sorloth added another after coming on as a substitute, leaving Barcelona facing the prospect of defeat. But in a remarkable turn of events, Barcelona responded in just six minutes, leveling the score. In added time, they scored two more goals to secure an unbelievable victory under Hans Flick.
In Sunday’s La Liga match at Atlético’s Wanda Metropolitano, Barcelona fought back from a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2.
This thrilling victory pushed Barcelona ahead of Real Madrid to reclaim the top spot in the league standings.
Robert Lewandowski reduced the deficit, and Ferran Torres brought Barcelona level. In the 92nd minute, Lamine Yamal put Barcelona ahead, and in the 98th minute, Ferran Torres sealed the win with his second goal.
Earlier in the season, Barcelona had failed to win in their two encounters with Atlético. In December’s La Liga match, despite leading at halftime, Barcelona lost 2-1 after a last-minute goal from Sorloth. Last month in the Copa del Rey semifinals, Barcelona had led 4-2 until the 83rd minute before conceding two late goals, with Sorloth equalizing in the 93rd minute.
However, in this third encounter, Barcelona delivered a dramatic victory, scoring in stoppage time to clinch the win.
With 60 points from 27 matches (19 wins and 3 draws), Barcelona now tops the table, surpassing Real Madrid, who are second with the same points. Atlético Madrid is in third place with 56 points, having played one more match than both teams.
Barcelona dominated possession and attack early in the game, creating several chances. In the 5th minute, they had their first major opportunity when Yamal received a pass from Dani Olmo just outside the box and fired a shot that hit the outside of the post. In the 14th minute, Lewandowski’s header from a cross by Jules Koundé was saved by Atlético’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
While both teams exchanged attacks, no clear chances came until the 44th minute, when Lewandowski’s shot hit the crossbar after receiving a pass from Pedri. In the final minute of the first half, Atlético opened the scoring. Antoine Griezmann’s pass from the left found Julián Siméone, who assisted Álvarez for a perfect finish inside the penalty box.
Barcelona nearly equalized early in the second half, but Yamal’s low shot went just wide of the post in the 50th minute. Atlético doubled their lead in the 60th minute when Sorloth, who had come on as a substitute, scored from a pass by Conor Gallagher.
Barcelona protested the goal, claiming a handball by Atlético’s Rodrigo de Paul during the build-up, but the referee upheld the goal with the help of VAR.
Sorloth’s goal was his sixth consecutive one against Barcelona, becoming the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to achieve this. In total, he has scored eight goals as a substitute this season, the highest among players in Europe’s top five leagues.
Lewandowski pulled one back in the 72nd minute with a beautiful goal. Receiving a cross from Inigo Martínez, Lewandowski controlled the ball with his chest and fired a shot past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1.
In the 78th minute, Ferran Torres leveled the score at 2-2 with a header from Raphinha’s cross after coming on for Olmo in the 67th minute.
In the second minute of added time, Yamal put Barcelona ahead, with his shot from outside the box deflecting off an Atlético defender and finding the net. Just minutes later, Torres sealed the victory with his second goal, after Atlético lost possession outside their box.
With this victory, Barcelona remains unbeaten in 18 consecutive matches across all competitions, with 15 wins and 3 draws.
