Barcelona mounted a thrilling comeback from two goals down to defeat Atletico Madrid 4-2 on Sunday, delivering a crucial blow in the Spanish title race. Lamine Yamal scored in the 92nd minute, followed by Ferran Torres in the 98th, propelling Barcelona back to the top of the table.
This came after Real Madrid briefly claimed first place with a win over Villarreal on Saturday. Barcelona and Real Madrid are now level on 60 points, but Barcelona has a game in hand. Atletico, meanwhile, trail the top two by four points after a heavy defeat at home to Hansi Flick’s side, capping off a difficult week following their Champions League exit.
Having been caught out late by Atletico twice earlier this season, it was Barcelona’s turn to deliver a dramatic finish, extending their unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions. Atletico had initially taken the lead with goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, before Robert Lewandowski and Torres pulled Barcelona level. The match was ultimately decided in stoppage time, with Barcelona emerging victorious.
Flick opted for Marc Casado in midfield, as Frenkie de Jong was unavailable for selection. The coach had cautioned his players to stay focused after a 96th-minute goal cost them the top spot in December’s 2-1 home defeat to Atletico. Barcelona had also suffered late heartbreak in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, drawing 4-4 with Atletico in February.
In the first half, Barcelona played cautiously, conserving energy and struggling to create clear opportunities. Yamal had a chance but fired wide with only Jan Oblak to beat, while Lewandowski’s header was saved.
Atletico appealed for a penalty when Inigo Martinez pulled back Marcos Llorente in the area, but the referee waved it off. Barcelona’s best opportunity came when Pedri set up Lewandowski, but the striker’s powerful shot hit the crossbar. From the resulting goal kick, Atletico found the opener. Antoine Griezmann played a brilliant pass across the box to Giuliano Simeone, whose cut-back was finished by Alvarez.
The goal was a moment of relief for Alvarez, who had been frustrated earlier in the week when a penalty against Real Madrid was disallowed, contributing to Atletico’s Champions League elimination.
After the break, Barcelona came out with renewed energy, and Simeone made changes, introducing Sorloth and Conor Gallagher to inject fresh legs into his side, who had played 120 minutes in midweek against Real Madrid.
The changes paid off when Atletico doubled their lead, with a fine team move involving Griezmann and a simple square pass from Gallagher to Sorloth, who netted his 11th goal of the season. Barcelona had protests over a possible handball by Rodrigo De Paul in the build-up, but the referee dismissed the claims.
Determined to respond, Barcelona quickly pulled one back when Lewandowski controlled a cross from Martinez and powered a low finish past Oblak. Torres then scored the equalizer when Raphinha, despite a quiet night, crossed from the right.
With Atletico shaken, Barcelona seized the opportunity. Yamal’s deflected shot in stoppage time gave Barcelona the lead, and Torres added a second to seal the win. This thrilling victory could prove decisive as the season draws to a close.
