Follow usRobert Lewandowski and Joao Felix shone as Barcelona clinched a 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in a match that also saw their coach, Xavi, receiving a red card.
The result propels Barcelona to second place in LaLiga, overtaking Girona, and narrowing the gap with league leaders Real Madrid to eight points with 30 more to play for. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid slips out of the UEFA Champions League spots following Athletic Club’s victory on Saturday.
Barcelona gradually asserted their dominance, and their breakthrough came in the 38th minute with a clinical finish. After repelling Atletico’s initial attack, Ilkay Gundogan fed a precise pass to Lewandowski, who set up Joao Felix for a composed finish past Jan Oblak, putting Barcelona ahead.
The lead was doubled just two minutes into the second half when Raphinha capitalized on a poor Rodrigo De Paul pass, releasing Lewandowski, who buried the ball into the far corner, extending Barcelona’s lead to 2-0.
Barcelona sealed the victory as Lewandowski turned provider in the 65th minute, delivering a pinpoint cross for Fermin to head past Oblak, making it 3-0. The match ended on a sour note for Atletico as Molina received a red card in stoppage time for fouling Vitor Roque, denying a potential penalty but leaving his team with ten men.
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