Barca leave it late at Atleti

Barcelona left it late at Atletico Madrid as Lionel Messi’s 86th-minute winner secured a 2-1 win for the Catalans to provisionally move them top of La Liga.

Andre Gomes was replaced by Rafinha as Barca lined up in a 3-4-3 formation against an Atleti side, boosted by the returns of Jan Oblak and Diego Godin.

The hosts’ first chance almost resulted in a goal as Yannick Carrasco peeled off his marker at the far post from a swirling delivery, but the winger’s first touch took the ball away from the target.

The resulting corner fell to Diego Godin in the penalty area, but the defender blazed the ball over.

Much like in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, Atleti were pressing high up the pitch and making it difficult for Barca to adopt a possession game.

Griezmann hit a half-volley on target, seemingly destined for the bottom-right corner, but Samuel Umtiti came flying across to make the block.

The forward was at it again moments later, unleashing a rocket from 25 yards out, which Ter Stegen superbly tipped over.

A chance finally fell to Barca, when Messi threaded through Neymar down the left. The Brazilian’s angled shot was then spilled by Oblak and bundled home by Luis Suarez, but the No 9 appeared to use his hand in the build-up.

Back to Griezmann, however, and he left the Barca backline for dead in the box as he ran onto a through ball, but his cutback for a certain goal was saved by Ter Stegen.

That miss instigated the Catalans’ best spell of the match so far as they started monopolising possession in the Atleti half.

Suarez blasted a piledriver half-a-yard over, before Messi drove a left-sided free kick towards the top-right corner, only for Oblak to brilliantly turn it over.

Pique could’ve nicked a goal just before half-time, having climbed highest to meet the corner, but it was caught by Oblak on his line.

Samuel Umtiti, meanwhile, felt he should’ve been awarded a penalty after he was bundled to the deck by Savic.

The restart signalled a shift as Barca moved their defensive line towards the halfway line, forcing Atleti to retreat.

From that, Suarez was played in behind for a one-on-one with Oblak, but as Los Colchoneros’ defence caught up, he rushed his finish and it went well wide of the far post in the end.

Back at the other end, Griezmann was unmarked as he raced onto a through ball, but his shot at Ter Stegen’s near post was blocked by the goalkeeper’s legs.

Diego Godin then met Vrsaljko’s dinked cross on the half-volley but couldn’t keep his header down.

Nonetheless, it was Barca that broke the deadlock. The first to the rebound from Suarez’s blocked shot near the Atleti penalty area, Rafinha dinked a finish into the bottom-left corner.

Just six minutes later, however, Godin got in between Sergio Busquets and Umtiti as he nods home Koke’s free kick from the left with the slightest of touches.

Yet it was followed by arguably the most important goal scored by Barca in 2016-17 as Messi pounced on the rebound from his blocked shot in the penalty area and poked it past Oblak.

Messi subsequently reached 20 La Liga goals in the quickest time for nine years as Atleti became the La Liga team he had scored most against. Barca, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten run against Atleti in the League to 14 games

Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona

Godin 70 (AM) Rafinha 64, Messi 86 (B)

Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Vrsaljko, Godin, Savic, Filipe; Gabi, Koke, Saul, Carrasco (Torres 68); Griezmann, Gameiro (Correa 72)

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Pique, Umtiti, Mathieu (Digne 77); Sergi (Gomes 85), Busquets, Iniesta (Rakitic 71), Rafinha; Messi, Suarez, Neymar

Referee: Mateu Lahoz

La Liga - Club News