It had to be him. Barcelona inflicted Atlético Madrid’s first league defeat at the Metropolitano in over a year and João Félix was the man who hurt them because, well, because of course he was.
The most expensive signing in Atlético’s history, the forward who still belongs to them but is desperate never to go back and who would not be welcomed back either; the man who went to Barcelona on loan and scored the only goal when these two teams last met, leaping on to the advertising boards at Montjuïc and blowing his former fans a kiss in December; the man who was whistled every time he touched the ball on his first trip back, scored the opening goal. He did not celebrate this time, just as he had promised, but it still stung.
That first-half strike was followed in the second by goals from the superb Robert Lewandowski, who scored one and made two, and Fermín López as Barcelona secured a 3-0 victory that takes them into second, eight points off the top, and leaves Diego Simeone’s team outside the Champions League places.
“Why can’t we dream of the league?” Xavi said. The Barcelona manager also said that, while Félix had played only 60% of the minutes this season, he was clear that he had to start on Sunday. He had, after all, been “extra motivated” – he wanted to be decisive and he was. Félix has now scored nine goals and provided five assists as a Barcelona player, and he would love the chance to continue in Catalonia.
By the time Félix was withdrawn late in the second half, booed all the way off, it was done, Atlético’s promising beginning long since forgotten and their record gone. They had collected 40 of a possible 42 points at the Metropolitano; this time though, they had no response to the moment the Portuguese put away the first, right in front of the supporters who, like him, hope he never wears their shirt again. Before the game, his plaque outside this stadium had been trashed. Some supporters had burned his shirt.
Ultimately, Barcelona had been too good, too clinical, which had not seemed likely at the start. In the opening half an hour Barcelona, who saw their makeshift deep midfielder Andreas Christensen pull out after the warmup, could not get control of the game. Unable to get hold of possession in midfield, Marc André ter Stegen instead sought to spear the ball straight through it in search of Lewandowski at the other end. The four best passes Barcelona had played at that point all came from Ter Stegen. So, it should be said, did the worst, his poor delivery leading to Pablo Barrios striking just wide after five minutes.
Every time Félix touched the ball, there were whistles, which at this point served mainly to underline the fact that he had touched so rarely. When the 30th minute arrived, his total was just five and nor was he that much of an outlier in the Barcelona lineup. Atlético were on the front foot.
Rodrigo Riquleme, Álvaro Morata and Nahuel Molina combined for the Argentinian to come inside for a shot that was blocked. Samuel Lino clipped a ball into the area for Morata, which he could not control. Then a slick exchange saw Molina escaping up the right. His ball across to Lino was overhit but the Brazilian collected, and sought out Morata at the near post, forcing a sharp intervention from the impressive 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi.
Yet Atlético lacked precision, especially when it came to the timing of Morata’s runs, and the momentum soon and rather suddenly slipped away. In three minutes, Barcelona created more than they had in 10 times that and, if Félix’s touches had been few, his would be the most decisive of them.
Before it came, Lewandowski had clipped a looping cross to the far post for Raphinha to head just wide and Cubarsi had curled a wonderful long pass that released López to draw a sharp save from Jan Oblak. Then the Portuguese finished off a neat move to open the scoring.
Ilkay Gündogan sidestepped two opponents and found Lewandowski with a superb pass, who pulled it back for Félix to slot home. This time there was no leap on to the advertising boards, just a slight hop from one foot to the other, and he soon disappeared into a crowd of teammates, hidden from view, which might not have been a bad thing. López pointed at him but Félix had said he would not celebrate a goal and did not point at anyone.
Morata had a chance to equalise but struck over, and was withdrawn at half-time, with Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann sent on. In the meantime Xavi had been sent off yet again. Almost immediately though, the lead doubled. An error from Rodrigo de Paul gifted possession to Raphinha in the opening minute of the second period and he set up Lewandowski to score with a clean, low shot.
Atlético chased, Ter Stegen making an extraordinary double save from Marcos Llorente and Depay, but it only got worse for the home side. A move given clarity by Gündogan, led to Lewandowski crossing for López, all alone on in front of goal, to head in the third. At the end of the night, Félix swapped shirts and departed up the tunnel where former teammates and staff waited to embrace him. “They know what happened; the people on the outside don’t, so I understand it,” Félix said. “Maybe I’m not the bad guy.”
