Atletico Madrid, Spain’s La Liga, defeated Barcelona thanks to a come-from-behind goal. AT Madrid won 12 consecutive games and regained No. 1 spot in the league.
AT Madrid, led by head coach Diego Simeone, defeated Barcelona 2-1 in the 18th round of the 2024-25 La Liga at the Estadi Olympics in Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday (Korea time), retaking the top spot in the league (12 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss, 41 points). Barcelona has become the second place (38 points) in the league.
The victory was more dramatic than expected. AT Madrid was shaken by Barcelona’s attack on the day by failing to make any significant attack throughout the first half. Clément Langelet’s long-distance free kick was the first shot that his team made at the eighth minute of the second half.
AT Madrid, however, had two chances to score. When their team was losing 0-1, Rodrigo de Paul did not miss the ball, sending the ball into the net. At the 6th minute, when extra time was full in the second half, Aleksander Seurlott scored a left-footed come-from-behind goal and burst into laughter.
Barcelona started Robert Lewandowski, Hafinha, Gabi and Pedri on the day. Lamine Yamal’s injury was a variable, but he pressured the away team with overwhelming performance throughout the first half.
Lewandowski’s header opened the door for the home team. Hafinha and Gavi also joined the attack. It was Pedri who fired a blow. Pedri instantly penetrated into the opponent’s side with a bold forward dribble in the 30th minute. With a pass from Gavi, who sensibly trapped the ball, he calmly finished it with his right foot. Barcelona did not score an additional goal, but headed for the second half in a good mood.
AT Madrid also had its defender José Jiménez injured just six minutes into the second half. Axel Witzel received a yellow card just two minutes into the game, sending shockwaves throughout the game.
De Paul, however, scored the equalizer at 15 minutes into the second half. He showed poor performance throughout the first half due to a pass miss, but he balanced the ball by connecting it with a right footed shot that was wrongly cleared by opponent midfielder Marc Casado.
Barcelona, which allowed the tying run, fired back with Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and Eric Garcia. In order to score additional goals, Barcelona made 13 attempts in the second half alone. However, it rarely opened the goal for AT Madrid. He was hamstrung by his poor decision-making ability to miss all five of the big chances. 메이저놀이터
AT Madrid laughed at the end. When the extra time was full in the second half of the game, Seurellot finished off Nahuel Molina’s pass inside the box and turned the game around.
Barcelona’s expected score (xG) reached 2.54, falling behind AT Madrid, which finished at 0.63. Barcelona will wrap up 2024 with its second consecutive league victory. AT Madrid has won all 12 of its official matches since Nov. 1.