Defeat and injuries against Barcelona | OneFootball

Defeat at Camp Nou, in a match where Atlético de Madrid tried to take advantage of Barcelona’s high defensive line. And they did so with Baena in the first half, but without any dangerous shots on target until the final stretch of the match, when the Blaugrana side locked themselves in to defend the result.

There was also a bit of misfortune in the defeat, with the injuries to Cardoso in the first half and Baena in the second, which blew up Cholo’s plans for the match. Even so, Atlético pinned Barcelona back in the closing stages of the match, but with bad luck in front of goal.

And yet Baena managed to open the scoring, with a goal where Simeone’s team exploited Barça’s high defensive line. All thanks to a great pass from Molina, which left the Almería native alone, almost from midfield, to finish brilliantly in a one-on-one with Joan García. A goal that was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR confirmed he was onside, putting the Rojiblancos ahead in the 19th minute.

From there, Barcelona took control of the match, dictating play until they exploited a gap through the center of the defense. Pedri threaded a great pass to Raphinha, who dribbled past Oblak and finished to equalize. Atleti couldn’t hold onto the lead for long, and we would end up paying dearly for it.

The match then entered a phase where the second goal could have gone either way. First Baena, who had another one-on-one with Joan García, who, already outside the box, managed to hold his ground and frustrate the chance to make it 1-2. Likewise, Barcelona could have made it 2-1, but the penalty Dani Olmo won against Barrios was missed by Lewandowski, who sent the ball well over the bar. Oblak also saved a header from the Pole that was heading for the post.

Another key play was Giuliano’s run down the right, which was stopped by a foul from Gerad Martín. The referee called the foul and the Colchoneros demanded a red card, since he was heading into the box, but in the end only a yellow card was shown. It was more than evident that, had he got past the Barça defender without the foul, he could have had a clear one-on-one with Joan García. It was a foul, and so it was called, but only a yellow card was given.

Luck did not smile on Atleti

There were two key moments that sealed the fate of the match in favor of Barcelona. First, the injury to Baena, who is without a doubt the brain of the team in attack. His ability to find spaces and his teammates is vital for the team in decisive situations. The loss of the Almería native left us without creativity in the final third. And with Koke also missing—he would later leave the pitch for Griezmann to come on—the team’s deficit in play was evident.

Second factor, the goal by Dani Olmo. Around the hour mark, a one-two between Dani Olmo and Lewandowski left the Spanish international alone to score the second goal for the Blaugrana, with a shot across Oblak. A goal after which Olmo himself went off injured, as did Pedri minutes later, though his seemed to be just cramps.

From then on, Atlético pinned Barcelona back and could have equalized on several occasions, with chances for Almada, Sørloth, and Griezmann. The Argentine, who dribbled past everyone in his way, ended up shooting wide after succumbing to fatigue. The Norwegian, after a great run spotted by Molina, found himself in the box but couldn’t finish. And the last chance, for the Frenchman, in the dying seconds of the match, he couldn’t get a clear shot off at the edge of the six-yard box. In addition to many corners that weren’t finished with any danger on goal, right before Barça’s third goal on a counterattack where Balde connected with Ferrán Torres.

Defeat, but we have to keep going. Now it’s time to think about Athletic. We’ll have to see which players are out for the next match, as Giménez also left the field with a possible muscle tear.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.