Diego Simeone has done it again with Atletico Madrid! Last night Atletico recorded their first win against Barcelona in Barcelona for the past 18 years and moved to the top of the La Liga table 3 points clear of Barca and 4 clear of Madrid with a game in hand! While the Spanish League more often than not has seen the two European Giants win the whole thing, the third horse in the race has been ravaging it this season getting important results and displaying unrivalled consistency in their matches to win in their last 7 matches on the trot. Moreover, throughout the La Liga season, Atletico Madrid has only lost one game and drawn only 5 which includes a stunning 1-1 draw in the Madrid Derby at home.
While Barcelona dominated the visitors for the entirety of the match it was Atletico Madrid, who in prime Diego Simeone fashion took themselves from the jaws of defeat to score 2 goals out of nowhere and win the game 2-1 in literally the last minute of the game. After a long wait of 3-4 years, Los Rojiblancos assembled a squad capable of competing in all competitions with the intention of winning. They have adequately talented men in each and every position from defense to attack. Jan Oblak in goal turned on saviour mode to deny Barca 3 clear chances on the night while Barca only converted 1 of their 11 big chances on the night.
Atletico Madrid on the other hand, took 3 shots on Target in the entire game with 2 of them going in. Now that’s some efficiency. The first goal came when Marc Casado chose to backheel the ball out of danger instead of clearing it away unknowing to the fact that Rodrigo De Paul was charging in like a bull. The Argentine World Cup winner precisely powered the ball into the bottom corner of Inaki Pena’s net to level the score after Pedri scored the first of the night in the first half after a scintillating 1-2 with Gavi.
With 6 minutes added on in the game, Atletico countered from a Barcelona corner and the big burly Sorloth who came off the bench slotted home an easy tap-in after Pau Cubarsi and Raphinha failed to stop the precise low-driven cross into the box. For Los Cules it couldn’t get any worse than this in the league. But for Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, being top of the table before Christmas means only one thing. It’s their league to lose now. Do you think Atletico Madrid will win La Liga?
