Barcelona fight back and restore a three-point lead, beating Atlético at the Metropolitano

A hard-fought comeback win in Madrid

On November 8, Barcelona beat Atlético Madrid 2:1 away in the 12th round of the Spanish championship at the Metropolitano stadium, Anadolu reports. The hero of the match was midfielder Fermín López, who scored both goals — in the 45th and 66th minutes.

Course of the match

Atlético opened the scoring in the 10th minute after a quick counterattack: Lee Kang-in released Julián Álvarez on the left, and he set up Giuliano Simeone, whose strike from the edge of the box sent the ball into the net. Early in the game both teams hit the crossbar — first home defender Marc Pubill with a header in the 6th minute, and a minute later Pedri. Barcelona equalized late in the first half: Pedri drove through the middle of the pitch, found López near the box, and after a deflection off Marcos Llorente he leveled the score with a powerful shot into the top corner. In the 66th minute Lamine Yamal's precise pass sent López one-on-one with Jan Oblak, and he secured the win for the visitors.

Standings

The win returned Barcelona to sole possession of first place: 33 points after 12 matches, three more than Real Madrid (30). According to Life.ru, the Catalans' only defeat in the current championship came precisely against Real — 1:2 in El Clásico thanks to a Kylian Mbappé brace, which was his 100th goal for the Madrid club. After the loss, Atlético remained third with 28 points and saw their seven-match winning streak in the championship come to an end. Ahead of the international break, the leader's three-point advantage has been restored — it had been lost after El Clásico. In the next round on November 22, Barcelona will host Villarreal, while Atlético will play away against Getafe.