La Liga: Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid: 1-0 in the end Returning to haunt Diego Simeone's side is Joao Felix.
Barcelona won a thrilling La Liga match against Atletico on Sunday to cap off their Champions League victory over Porto midweek. Who else but Joao Felix scored the game's lone goal to keep Barca's incredible recent run against the Rojiblancos going?
Barcelona got off to a strong start in the match and
created a chance in the opening minute. After a good move down the right by
Ilkay Gundogan, Raphinha exchanged passes with Pedri to run through on goal,
but he mishandled the ball and missed.
Shortly after, Felix successfully intercepted a ball
inside the Atletico half, setting up Robert Lewandowski, but Mario Hermoso
stopped his attempt at goal. A few minutes later, Lewandowski had another
opportunity, but he was only able to volley Jules Kounde's cross miles over the
bar.
Gundogan was merely in command of the midfield while
Barcelona was having fun down the right flank. The goal eventually materialized
after 28 minutes of constant progress. Once more, Kounde and Raphinha teamed
up, with the Brazilian driving infield and connecting with Felix. With a touch,
the former Atletico player dashed into the area and finished calmly over Jan
Oblak.
Ten minutes prior to halftime, Atletico came within a
whisker of equalizing despite having few opportunities to shoot. The ball was
worked out to Griezmann inside the area following a rare break upfield. The
Frenchman went for goal, but a flying Frenkie de Jong brilliantly blocked his
effort.
The action then shifted to the opposing end, where
Felix was set up for another excellent opportunity by Lewandowski and Gundogan,
but Oblak stopped his well-placed shot.
The latter half
In an attempt to get his team back into the game at
halftime, Diego Simeone made three changes. Angel Correa, Cesar Azpilicueta,
and Samuel Lino entered the game, but Barcelona persisted and came very close
to adding a second goal just before the hour.
Once more, Raphinha was sprinting across the field and
attempting to score. The Brazilian's attempt went past Jan Oblak, but it struck
the post and cleared the air. Atletico responded quickly to the opportunity,
with Griezmann firing into the side net after another counterattack.
Towards the end, both teams had more opportunities.
The best chance was definitely a free-kick from Memphis Depay, the substitute,
which Inaki Pena in the Barcelona goal expertly tipped onto the woodwork.
With five minutes of normal time left, Lewandowski
again had a chance to win it, but he managed to misfire his shot. Pena had to
make yet another outstanding block in the closing moments to secure the victory
and a very important three points in what were extremely scrappy final minutes.
Barcelona: Peña; Lewandowski, Félix (Ferran Torres,
76'), Raphinha (Lamine Yamal, 76'), Araujo, Kounde, Chrisensen, Cancelo; Pedri
(Fermin Lopez, 88'), De Jong, Gündogan
Felix (28') has goals.
De Paul, Riquelme (Correa, 46'); Griezmann, Morata
(Memphis, 66'); Oblak; Giménez (Lino, 46'); Witsel, Hermoso; Molina
Azpilicueta, 46'); Llorente, Koke (Saul, 66');
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