How Atletico Madrid Let a Two-Goal Lead Slip Away Against a Resurgent Barcelona

Following Real Madrid’s narrow victory over Villarreal in their Saturday evening LaLiga clash, both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona faced immense pressure to secure three points and remain in contention with Los Blancos at the top of Spain’s top-tier football.

With the competition so tight at this juncture of the 2024/25 season, any slip-ups could spell disaster for the title hopes of all three clubs.

Amid the disappointment of being eliminated from the Champions League yet again by their cross-town rivals Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid seemed energised in the early stages as they took on a Barcelona side that has been in exceptional form recently.

In recent outings, Barcelona demonstrated their offensive prowess, netting three goals against Benfica in the Champions League, four against Atletico in the Copa del Rey, and another four against Real Sociedad and Sevilla in league fixtures.

One distinguishing feature of this Barcelona team, apart from their goal-scoring capabilities, is their unwavering determination, a trait that shone through at the Metropolitano Stadium where the Catalan giants rallied from two goals down to secure a 4-2 triumph with just 20 minutes remaining.

This marks the first time Barcelona has come back to win a league match after trailing by two or more goals since September 23, 2023, against Celta Vigo. Moreover, it is Atletico Madrid’s first defeat in La Liga after leading at half-time since March 18, 2018, against Villarreal, ending a remarkable streak of 97 games without loss when ahead at the break.

Interestingly, Atleti had remained unbeaten in 138 home matches after leading at half-time since their last loss in this scenario, coincidentally against Villarreal on December 13, 2009.

Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth both netted their 11th league goals of the season, making them the leading scorers for Atletico, while Robert Lewandowski began the Barcelona comeback with a remarkable 22nd goal in LaLiga – precisely the combined tally of Alvarez and Sorloth.

Atletico Madrid could muster only two shots on target from a total of six attempts, while Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski combined for nine shots, four of which were on target.

The same duo made the most significant impacts in the opposition’s box, with six and eight touches respectively, well ahead of Giuliano Simeone’s five for the home side.

Despite Atletico’s evident determination to push forward, they faltered when it mattered most.

Barcelona’s other three goals that evening (two from Ferran Torres and one from Lamine Yamal) came in the last 15 minutes, contributing to the staggering 17 goals the Blaugrana have now scored during this critical late phase of matches – the highest in LaLiga this season.

This result serves as a warning to all teams in the league that Hansi Flick’s side will persistently chase victory until the final whistle.

While the headlines will undoubtedly focus on Barcelona’s inspiring comeback, the tactical prowess demonstrated by the Catalans throughout the match against a formidable opponent should not be overlooked.

All of Barcelona’s defenders achieved a pass completion rate of at least 90.2%, with only Wojciech Szczesny and Lewandowski dipping below 80%.

In contrast, only five Atletico players reached 80% or higher, with Simeone recording a disappointing 58.8% completion rate.

This discrepancy becomes even more significant considering Pablo Barrios topped the Atleti passing chart with merely 32 passes, whereas Pau Cubarsi for Barca completed 99, and with Pedri only ten behind, Inigo Martinez (84), and Jules Kounde (72) also displaying impressive statistics.

It appeared that Cholo Simeone had instilled a mindset focused on avoiding defeat rather than pursuing victory, despite the fact that they were leading 2-0 with three-quarters of the match played.

Atletico did enjoy some success in duels, winning 51.4% compared to Barcelona’s 47.8%, and were slightly better in aerial challenges at 60% to 40%.

They executed 16 successful tackles out of 19, while Barca managed just nine from 22 attempts. Therefore, it would be unfair to overly criticise the hosts for their tenacity and fighting spirit.

Every outfield player for Atletico managed to regain possession at least once, suggesting they were prepared for a battle. However, the visitors outperformed them with more interceptions (six to five), more successful dribbles (47.8% versus 41.4%), and completed double the passes (640 to 319), with an impressive 575 successful passes compared to Atletico’s 244.

Barcelona completed a significant 267 passes in the attacking third, indicating their willingness to take risks, a stark contrast to Atletico’s mere 80 passes in similar areas.

Jan Oblak and his defence’s 16 clearances reflect that Barca maintained a dominant attacking presence, though it’s worth noting that the Catalan backline was also required to make 14 clearances of their own.

This performance highlights Atletico’s missed chances, a recurring criticism directed at the club.

In hindsight, this represents a substantial missed opportunity for Atletico Madrid, with the title now firmly within Barcelona’s grasp.

With Barcelona back on top of LaLiga, they share the same points tally as Real Madrid but hold a game in hand and have yet to face Los Blancos at home. Should they falter from this position, they will only have themselves to blame.