Match report: Barcelona 1-2 Atletico Madrid
The great Sid Lowe was at Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys to watch a game that will go straight into Atletico folklore. I’ll leave you with his match report; goodnight.
If you just need one more liveblog hit, Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury is imminent.
That’s extraordinary. Atletico Madrid have extended their winning run to 12. And won away to Barcelona for the first time in almost 19 years. And gone top of La Liga. They were outplayed for most of the game, in truth, but they fought tooth and nail to stay in it and then found another decisive late goal.
It’s harsh on Barcelona, who were largely excellent but have now picked up only five points from the last seven league games.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atletico Madrid | 18 | 21 | 41 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 19 | 29 | 38 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 17 | 21 | 37 |
| 4 | Athletic Bilbao | 19 | 12 | 36 |
| 5 | Mallorca | 19 | -2 | 30 |
Full time: Barcelona 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Smash y grab. Mes que un sucker punch.
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Atletico have shattered Barcelona with a breakaway goal. The substitute Molina ran the length of the field to support De Paul, who played a simple ball down the line to release him. Molina’s low cross was missed by Cubarsi and finished majestically by Sorloth, another substitute, at the far post! My word.
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GOAL! Barcelona 1-2 Atletico Madrid (Sorloth 90+6)
Brutal. Absolutely brutal!
90+4 min Olmo’s imaginative through pass towards Lewandowski is read beautifully by Lenglet. He’s had a really good game.
90+1 min If it stays like this Real Madrid will go top, and leapfrog both these sides, if they beat Sevilla at home tomorrow.
90 min Six minutes of added time.
89 min Funny old game. The team on an 11-match winning run would be more than happy with a draw; the team that have lost three of their last six only have eyes for victory.
88 min: Superb save by Oblak! Now Olmo slides a terrific through ball to Pedri, who controls it beautifully on the run in a crowded area. That puts him through on goal but his low shot is saved by the legs of Oblak.
86 min: Big save by Oblak! Lewandowski puts Raphinha through on goal with a beautiful early pass. Raphinha zips into the area and slides a low shot that is blocked by Oblak, perfectly positioned at the near post. As Terry Gibson says on commentary, Raphinha snatched at that ever so slightly.
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85 min A poor clearance from Pena goes to Alvarez, who tries to lob the keeper from 50 yards. He doesn’t make proper contact and the backpedalling Pena makes a comfortable save.
84 min Lewandowski’s shot deflects behind for a corner. It’s curled deep and headed over his own bar by Koke. Oblak came for the ball and got nowhere, though he thought he was fouled by Lewandowski. No matter: the second corner comes to nought.
82 min Although Barrios had a pretty good chance to put Atletico ahead, it has generally been all Barcelona in the last 10-15 minutes. The game is so open that, as Terry Gibson says on ITV4, I’m not sure it will end 1-1.
80 min A typically quick-witted effort from Dani Olmo. He was surrounded by players on the left side of the area and sidefooted a shot across goal with almost no backlift. It beat the diving Oblak and went a few yards wide of the far post.
80 min: Barcelona substitution Eric Garcia replaces Marc Casado.
79 min We’ve just seen a replay of De Paul’s goal, which he took so nonchalantly. He used Casado as a screen and simply passed the ball into the far corner.
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77 min: Chance for Atletico! At the other end Barrios bursts through and has a shot kicked away by Pena. Barcelona break and Le Normand is booked for pulling back Ferran Torres (I think).
76 min: What a chance for Lewandowski! Raphinha’s clever ball over the top finds Torres, who cushions the ball back across to Lewandowski, five yards from goal. He misses his kick completely.
Replays suggest Torres was offside so, though it wasn’t flagged on the field, I suspect VAR would have got involved. Still a bad miss though.
75 min Sorloth breaks promisingly and tries to play in Alvarez, who is blocked by/runs into Cubarsi.
73 min Double substitution for Atletico This is Barcelona’s best spell for a while, probably since they took the lead after half an hour. Atletico respond by bringing on Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth for Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann. That might mean a siwtch to a back five.
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70 min Barcelona have responded well to De Paul’s equaliser and at this stage look the likelier winners. We’ve heard that one in the past with Atletico, mind you.
67 min Raphinha’s overhit cross goes just wide with Oblak scrambling across goal. He probably had it covered but he was worried for a second.
66 min Barcelona come again. Raphinha combines well with Kounde and smashes a cross that flashes past everyone in the six-yard box. Maybe he could have been more precise with the cross, or even had a shot himself.
64 min: Double substitution for Barcelona Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres on, Fermin Lopez and Gavi off.
62 min: Double change for Atletico Nahuel Molina and Koke replace Giuliano Simeone and Conor Gallagher.
Alvarez got away down the left and tried to pick out Griezmann (I think) near the penalty spot. It was a poor ball, in truth, and half cleared by Casado. De Paul ran onto the ball, 25 yards out, and curled a precise first-time shot into the far corner. That’s such a cool, classy finish. And it was an odd bit of play from Casado, whose attempted clearance was an extravagant flick behind his standing leg.
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GOAL! Barcelona 1-1 Atletico (De Paul 60)
It could have been 2-0; instead it’s 1-1!
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58 min: Raphinha hits the bar! Pedri curls a delicious pass over Galan to put Raphinha through on goal. The ball sits up nicely so Raphinha lobs it over the outrushing Oblak. It hits the bar and rebounds to Lewandowski, whose follow up is blocked desperately by Witsel.
56 min Simeone charges infield and pushes a dangerous pass through towards Alvarez. He tries to run Cubarsi, who shows impressive pace and calmly knocks the ball back to Pena. Lovely defending from an absurdly talented young defender.
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55 min Balde’s cross is only half cleared to Pedri on the far side of the area. He cuts inside on his left foot and sprays a shot high and wide.
Lewandowski’s free-kick was actually blocked by his teammate Cubarsi, lurking behind the Atletico wall. I think Oblak had it covered though.
55 min Lewandowski’s free-kick hits the wall.
53 min Witsel’s first contribution is to trip Lewandowski right on the edge of the area. He’s booked.
51 min: Atletico substitution Jose Maria Gimenez is limping off with what looks like an ankle problem. Axel Witsel replaces him.
48 min: Big save by Oblak! A very poor pass from Gimenez is intercepted by Raphinha, and in the blink of an eye Pedri plays Fermin Lopez through on goal in the inside-left channel. His shot is kicked away by Oblak. That’s his best save of the match to date.
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46 min Peep peep! Barcelona begin the second half.
We’ve just seen a replay of Pedri’s goal. First up, Gavi’s return pass was definitely accidental; the other thing is that Pedri’s short took a slight but important touch off the lunging Gimenez.
“With respect to Phil Podolsky, Alvarez is playing in light blue and his team are losing,” says Andy Gordon. “So, is the only difference the better weather?”
Half-time reading
Half time: Barcelona 1-0 Atletico Madrid
Form! Woah woah woah woah. What is it good for? Absolutely nuthin!
Barcelona, who came into this match on their knees, have completely dominated an Atletico side on a run off 11 consecutive victories. Pedri’s classy goal was the least they deserved.
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45+1 min: Close! Galan runs onto a return pass from Gallagher and curls a wicked cross into the corridor of uncertainty. Martinez, six yards from his own goal, slices it over the bar with Alvarez waiting behind him to score.
42 min Griezmann overhits a through ball to Alvarez, who was on his heels anyway. Atletico are at least seeing a bit of the ball now. If they remember what to do with it they might be dangerous.
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40 min Raphinha makes a fine run behind Galan but can’t control a fast and slightly awkward through pass from Pedri (I think). Had he taken it in his stride he’d have been in on goal.
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39 min Atletico’s best attack so far ends with Gallagher’s shot deflecting behind for a … Barcelona free-kick, as there was an offside in the build up.
36 min Kounde makes a good underlapping run, twists away from Gallagher and picks out Fermin Lopez on the edge of the area. He shapes to shoot and then tries to go past De Paul, who makes a really important tackle.
34 min Barcelona deserve to be ahead after a dominant first half hour. We haven’t seen possession stats but it feels about 70/30.
32 min “I have the greatest respect for Atletico, a great club with a robust culture and passionate base of support in one of Europe’s great cities,” says Phil Podolsky. “But moving there from a club managed by Pep Guardiola is something most elite footballers would rather do once they’re on the wrong side of 30, no?”
He just wanted to play every week didn’t he?
Pedri received the ball on the left wing and zipped infield with purpose. He poked the ball into Gavi on the edge of the area, looking for a one-two, and kept running. Gavi miscontrolled the ball (I think, although he’s so talented that it could have been deliberate) on the edge of the area – but it turned into a perfect return pass for Pedri, who scooted through and guided a shot across Oblak.
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GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Pedri 30)
Pedri quickens the pace to devastating effect!
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27 min Griezmann wins Atletico’s first corner. Pena punches it away effectively, if not entirely convincingly.
25 min: Chance for Barcelona Raphinha takes the corner, gets it back and whips an early cross towards the near post. Gavi meets it eight yards from goal and heads wide. He couldn’t quite flick it towards goal.
25 min Another very dangerous inswinging cross from Raphinha is headed behind by the diving Gimenez. Raphinha has been Barcelona’s main attacking threat.
21 min No penalty. But almost a goal from Inigo Martinez, who stays up following a corner and tests Oblak with a stinging shot from 15 yards. It was straight enough that Oblak could stand tall and beat the ball away.
20 min Raphinha’s inswinging cross bounces up awkwardly beyond the far post and hits the elbow of the unsighted Simeone. Barcelona want a penalty. It’s being checked by VAR.
18 min The first threat from Atletico. Gallagher clips a pass over the top to Simeone, who tries to head the ball square to Griezmann in the area. Martinez gets there first and boots the ball away.
15 min At the moment Atletico can’t match Barcelona’s intensity, never mind their quality in possession. But they are defending solidly under relentless pressure and Oblak hasn’t had a tough save to make. Yet.
13 min Lopez’s inswinging cross from the left beats all the outfield players at the near post and is palmed away by Oblak. He read the play well and in doing so made it a more comfortable save than it might have been.
10 min Raphinha’s cross is headed behind by the diving Gimenez. Nothing comes of the corner but it’s a continuation of Barcelona’s complete dominance early on.
7 min “Rob, I used to love the anticipation of watching a Barça game,” says Charles Antaki. “Iniesta … Xavi … Messi, so young and so brilliant. But the Righteous Brothers had me in mind, and I suspect a lot of other people too: I’ve lost that lovin’ feeling; it’s gone, gone gone, and Robert Lewandowski isn’t going to bring it back. Maybe Lamine Yamal … also Gavi … Pedri ... hmm, perhaps I’ll watch a bit.”
I think you’ll find the correct order is Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, if only to enable a Little Mix pun.
6 min Lopez’s cross is headed over in front of the near post by Lewandowski.
It was actually Conor Gallagher who blocked that Raphinha shot, which might otherwise have beaten the diving Oblak.
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5 min Barcelona continue to put serious pressure on Atletico early on. Raphinha’s shot from 15 yards hits two Atletico defenders before being cleared; the second block may have saved a goal. Not sure who the defender was.
3 min Barcelona have maded a really fast start. Balde hammers a dangerous cross towards Raphinha at the far post, but the ball is slightly behind him and he can only head the ball away from goal.
2 min Barcelona have Raphinha on the right, with Gavi playing from the left and Fermin Lopez behind Lewandowski.
1 min Peep peep! The big game is under way. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick is suspended by the way; he’s in the stands but is not allowed in the dressing-room. Check the laundry baskets.
It’s almost time for kick off, so let’s have a reminder of the teams. I’ve listed Barcelona with Raphinha on the right but they may have Fermin Lopez right, Gavi in the centre and Raphinha to the left.
Barcelona (possible 4-2-3-1) Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Raphinha, Fermin Lopez, Gavi; Lewandowski.
Substitutes: R Araujo, Olmo, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, Pablo Torre, Pau Víctor, F De Jong, Szczęsny, Astralaga, Eric, Gerard Martin, Sergi Domínguez.
Atletico Madrid (possible 4-4-2) Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, de Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Substitutes: Azpilicueta, Correa, Koke, Lemar, Le Normand, Lino, Mandava, Molina, Musso, Riquelme, Sorloth, Witsel.
It’s tight at the top
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 18 | 30 | 38 |
| 2 | Atletico Madrid | 17 | 20 | 38 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 17 | 21 | 37 |
| 4 | Athletic Bilbao | 19 | 12 | 36 |
| 5 | Mallorca | 19 | -2 | 30 |
The late Premier League game finished Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal. Join Scott Murray for reaction.
Team news: Yamal out through injury
Hansi Flick makes three changes to the side that was beaten at home by Leganes. Pau Cubarsi, Gavi and Fermin Lopez come in for Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo and the injured Lamine Yamal.
Atleti make one change from last weekend’s win over Getafe. Conor Gallagher is back, Samuel Lino drops out.
Barcelona (possible 4-2-3-1) Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Raphinha, Lopez, Gavi; Lewandowski.
Substitutes: R Araujo, Olmo, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, Pablo Torre, Pau Víctor, F De Jong, Szczęsny, Astralaga, Eric, Gerard Martin, Sergi Domínguez.
Atletico Madrid (possible 4-4-2) Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, de Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Substitutes: Azpilicueta, Correa, Koke, Lemar, Le Normand, Lino, Mandava, Molina, Musso, Riquelme, Sorloth, Witsel.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the weekend’s biggest fixture: Barcelona v Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis. It’s 1st v 2nd in La Liga, with Real Madrid breathing on the shoulders of both with increasing intensity. Not that anything can match the intensity of Atleti’s form: they’ve won 11 in a row in all competitions, including an incredible comeback from 3-1 down against Sevilla a fortnight ago.
Barcelona have gone in the opposite direction. October’s orgy of goals has been followed by a really poor run of five points in six league games, which includes defeats at home to Las Palmas and Leganes. Maybe a game of this magnitude is what they need to get them going again. Both teams know that, if they win tonight, they’ll be top going into 2025.
Kick off 8pm GMT, 9pm CET.
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