Barça takes the measure of the Metropolitan

Barça takes the measure of the Metropolitan

Joao Félix scored on his return and Lewandowski made the difference against Atlético to keep leaders Madrid within eight points

MADRID, 17 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

FC Barcelona attacked the Cívitas Metropolitano this Sunday with two good goals from Joao Félix and Robert Lewandowski plus Fermín's sentence (0-3), to impose their good moment on an Atlético de Madrid that paid for the European hangover and lost for the first time time at home in LaLiga EA Sports.

With both teams on a roll, with the pleasant aftertaste of going to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the red and white team wasted a superior start. Barça, with Xavi Hernández sent off as a result of the tension and bad appearance of the match, found a punch and an inspired Lewandowski to place second.

The Catalans assumed the role of main pursuer of the leader Real Madrid, eight points behind, while Atlético fell to fifth position, outside the Champions zone in the table. Joao Félix, who had barely touched the ball, made it 0-1 in the 38th minute. The player on loan from Atlético again punished his team, as in the first leg, and gave faith to a Barça that had been surpassed until then.

Xavi's plan fell apart before starting with the injury of Andreas Christensen, his great invention in the center of the field. Without the Dane, Ilkay Gündogan moved his position away from the rival goal and the visitors barely connected with their people up front. The red and white pressure suffocated their rival and, in the recovery, Diego Pablo Simeone's men forgave, the first for Pablo Barrios.

Atlético approached the Barça goal but did not reach the top, while Barça, although with difficulty, took steps forward. The local intensity dropped after half an hour, when Xavi's men began to find passes inside to Fermín and, later, to Félix and Lewandowski. The Pole was the one who connected with Gündogan to assist the Portuguese on his return home.

Barça then pressed, Xavi was sent off claiming a foul in his team's pressure and Álvaro Morata had the last of the first half. With the resumption, Simeone brought in Griezmann and Memphis, the bullets he had saved after the wear and tear against Inter, but the return to the locker room was a loss for the locals.

Rodrigo de Paul, who could have been sent off in the first play against Sergi Roberto, gave the ball away in the second and Raphinha put it to a Lewandowski who defined it as in his best times (0-2). The game was very much in the Catalans' face, with Atleti forced to go ahead, and who could have gotten into the fight if not for a giant Ter Stegen against Marcos Llorente.

The German goalkeeper, who also stopped Memphis' rebound even though he was offside, also helped to get the ball out, even leaving his '9' alone with Oblak. Atlético did not have the mental or physical freshness, although it brought in starters, to fight against the adversity that grew with Fermín's 0-3, against Barça with another assist from Lewandowski. In the last one, Nahuel Molina was sent off for throwing at Vitor Roque in the goal area.

Xavi's team, with his team going from strength to strength since he said he would leave in June, showed that they had taken the measure of an impregnable field in the League since Barça won last season. A Barça team that fits much less and has a punch to not give up in the League and gain confidence for the match with PSG, while the red and whites are one point away from fourth place, failing where they don't usually after the surge against Inter.

--RESULT: ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, 0 - FC BARCELONA, 3. (0-1, at halftime).

ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Molina, Savic, Witsel, Reinildo, Lino (Griezmann, rest); Llorente (Koke, min.58), Barrios, De Paul (Saúl, min.67), Riquelme (Correa, min.58) and Morata (Memphis, rest).

FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsí, Héctor Fort (Marc Casadó, min.82); Gündogan, Sergi Roberto (Oriol Romeu, min.77), Fermín (Iñigo Martínez, min.82), Raphinha (Yamal, min.61), Joao Félix (Vitor Roque, min.77) and Lewandowski.

0 - 1, min.38, Félix.

0 - 2, min.47, Lewandowski.

0 - 3, min.65, Fermín.

--REFEREE: Sánchez Martínez (C.Murciano). He cautioned De Paul (min.46), Savic (min.61) and Barrios (min.89) for Atlético. And Koundé (min.33) at Barça. He sent off Molina for a direct red card (min.92).

--STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano, 68,253 spectators.