Barcelona Clings to Top Spot After Incredible “Remontada”
Barcelona retained their top spot in La Liga with an incredible “remontada,” coming from two goals down to win 4-2 against Atletico Madrid in a thrilling match of the 28th round.
Atletico Madrid took the lead with goals from Argentine striker Julian Alvarez (45) and substitute Norwegian Alexander Sorloth (70). However, Polish forward Robert Lewandowski pulled one back for Barcelona (72), followed by substitute Ferran Torres, who equalized (78). In stoppage time, 16-year-old Lamine Yamal put Barcelona ahead with a third goal (90+2), and Torres sealed the victory with a fourth goal just before the final whistle (90+8).
This remarkable comeback against one of their direct competitors for the La Liga title allowed Barcelona to regain the top spot, which they had briefly lost to their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who hoped for a draw between the two teams to remain in first place. Barcelona now stands on 60 points (on goal difference) with one game in hand, while Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 2-1 on Saturday.
With this result, Barcelona extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions (15 wins, 3 draws), having last lost in La Liga to Atletico Madrid 1-2 on December 21, when “Los Rojiblancos” snatched the top spot from the Catalans.
Barcelona also remains in the Champions League, advancing to the quarterfinals where they will face Borussia Dortmund. Atletico, meanwhile, was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Real Madrid after losing on penalties.
With 56 points, Atletico now sits in third place, with only the La Liga title to focus on, a trophy they last won in the 2020-2021 season, and the Copa del Rey, which they have not won since 2013. The two teams will meet again in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on April 2 at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Key Moments of the Match
The hosts took the lead through Alvarez, who received a pass from his compatriot Giuliano Simeone, the son of the coach, Argentine Diego Simeone, after a cross from Frenchman Antoine Griezmann (45).
Sorloth added a second goal 10 minutes after coming on, converting a close-range shot from a pass by English substitute Conor Gallagher (70). Barcelona players protested, claiming there was a handball by Argentine Rodrigo de Paul, who passed the ball to Gallagher. However, after reviewing the video assistant referee (VAR), the referee confirmed the goal, as he had given an advantage to the visiting team, who lost possession before Atletico capitalized on the counter-attack.
Lewandowski then reduced the deficit with a smart left-footed shot after a controlled chest pass from defender Inigo Martinez, sending the ball past Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak (72).
Substitute Torres became the star of the show, scoring the equalizer with a header off a cross from Brazilian captain Raphinha, with poor defensive marking (78).
Atletico dropped back to defend under heavy pressure from Barcelona, and Yamal gave Barcelona the lead for the first time with a shot from outside the box that deflected off Mozambique’s Renildo Mandava and deceived Oblak (90+2).
Torres confirmed the win, taking advantage of a defensive error to score his second goal and Barcelona’s fourth (90+8).
