Barcelona Pull Off Stunning Late Comeback to Overcome Title Rivals Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid had the opportunity to achieve a league double over their title contenders Barcelona for the first time since the 2005/06 season, but their aspirations for LaLiga glory were significantly hindered as they let a two-goal advantage slip, eventually succumbing to a 4-2 defeat in a thrilling match that allowed Barcelona to leapfrog Real Madrid and take the lead in the table.

Only four days after their agonising and contentious loss to bitter rivals Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, Atleti returned to the Estadio Metropolitano.

Within the opening five minutes, the hosts could have found themselves behind when Lamine Yamal exchanged passes with Dani Olmo, only to hit the outside of Jan Oblak’s right post.

Hansi Flick’s side maintained pressure on their opponents for much of the first half, yet as time went on, Diego Simeone’s men started to push forward and broke the deadlock just before half-time. Robert Lewandowski fired over the bar after a perfectly timed pass from Pedri found him in an onside position, leaving the Pole to regret the missed opportunity as Atleti launched their own attack.

Antoine Griezmann’s sweeping cross-field ball was cleverly turned back inside by Giuliano Simeone to his fellow Argentine Julian Alvarez, who finished decisively, marking his 23rd goal in all competitions during his debut season with Los Rojiblancos.

Flick must have been frustrated that his team weren’t at least even after dominating possession in the first half, but neither he nor Simeone opted to make substitutions at half-time.

Consequently, the second half began in a manner echoing the start of the match, with Barca pushing forward and Yamal, along with Olmo, once again combining, though Yamal narrowly missed the target once more.

Nonetheless, Atleti, while remaining disciplined defensively, also appeared dangerous on the counter-attack, with Conor Gallagher and Alexander Sorloth coming on for Samuel Lino and Alvarez just after the hour mark.

Despite the substitution of the player who scored the opener, the lead was doubled in the 70th minute when Griezmann capitalised on a mistake by Eric Garcia, initiating an attack that saw Gallagher break free and square the ball for fellow substitute Sorloth to slot it home.

Feeling aggrieved over a possible handball by Rodrigo De Paul leading up to the goal, Barcelona quickly halved the deficit as Inigo Martinez delivered a cross for Lewandowski, who executed a brilliant chest trap before expertly placing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

The excitement didn’t end there, as Raphinha’s whipped cross was met by the unmarked Ferran Torres, who headed it in.

After experiencing heartbreak midweek, Atleti faced yet another crushing moment as Yamal’s long-range effort deflected off Reinildo and into Oblak’s far corner in the 92nd minute, shortly before Torres’ composed finish sealed the outcome in the dying moments.

This late twist ended Atleti’s unbeaten home league record for the season, with Barcelona set to face their near neighbours Girona after the international break, eager to build on this incredible comeback.