Barcelona ascended to second place in La Liga with a commanding 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, and Fermin Lopez found the net, securing a surprisingly comfortable win for Barcelona, marking the first defeat for Atletico at Estadio Civitas Metropolitano this season.
The triumph propelled Barcelona two points clear of the formidable Girona in the league standings, albeit still trailing eight points behind the frontrunners, Real Madrid.
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The match began with Atletico Madrid dominating proceedings, their high press causing significant trouble for Barcelona. In the early stages, a Pablo Barrios opportunity arose from a Marc Andre ter Stegen misjudgment, but his effort drifted wide.
Barcelona gradually found their rhythm towards the end of the first half, with Raphinha and Fermin Lopez missing chances before Joao Felix opened the scoring. A slick move involving Ilkay Gundogan and Lewandowski saw Felix calmly slotting home.
Shortly after the halftime break, Lewandowski doubled Barcelona’s lead with a sublime finish. Despite Atletico’s attempts to respond, a stunning save by Ter Stegen denied Marcos Llorente.
In the 65th minute, Barcelona sealed the win with a sensational header from Fermin Lopez, who replicated his midweek Champions League heroics.
Atletico’s woes were compounded in stoppage time as Nahuel Molina received a straight red card for a last-man foul on Vitor Roque, capping off a dismal outing for the home side.