Barcelona 1-2 Atlético Madrid: La Liga – as it happened

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.

Smash y grab. Mes que un sucker punch.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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