Liga: Barça wins 1-0 on the lawn of Atlético and takes a 3-point lead in the lead

To attack Monday morning with a smile, Barça had to take advantage of Real Madrid’s setback at Villarreal (2-1) this Sunday evening, winning on the lawn of Atletico Madrid. Xavi’s men did the job and left the Wanda Metropolitano with a 1-0 victory in the bag. The job is everything. Really no more.

After thirty minutes in control, completed by a goal from Ousmane Dembélé (22nd), it was (almost) nothing. But the important thing is elsewhere. A look at the ranking erases the disappointment of seeing a Barça still so bland. Indeed, the Blaugranas are three points ahead of Real and settle a little more comfortably at the top of La Liga at the end of this 16th day.

A very classic half hour

The start of the game was almost caricatural. Barça held the leather against Colchoneros in medial / low block, aggressive and explosive in recovery. But in this little game, it was Xavi’s men who first took the upper hand. Stefa Savic and Jose Maria Gimenez delayed the deadline thanks to tacklings slipped a bit miraculous on strikes from Ansu Fati (3rd, 10th).

But Pedri made the genius speak. The Spaniard escaped Griezmann’s supervision and then broke a ball-to-foot line. Gavi then served as a relay to extend to Dembélé, who finished from the right to beat Oblak. Then everything reversed. The match joined a parallel dimension, in which Atlético tries to occupy the opposing half of the field and multiply the passes to find the fault. Faced with a Barça patiently biding its time to launch its attackers to recover the ball.

A mix of genres

And is not Blaugrana who wants. Inevitably, with possession of the ball, Atlético did not offer a flourishing spectacle. Rather soporific even. But is not Diego Simeone who wants either. By dint of playing Cholismo, Xavi almost got burned. If his men could have made the break via Dembélé who touched the post (61st), they were especially close to being joined in the score.

As the Catalans retreated, the people of Madrid started moving forward. And have become more specific. It came down to a hair. Or rather a heel. In additional time, extended because of Savic and Ferran Torres who improvised a real wrestling fight (they both received a red), Griezmann thought he scored. Well found on a center set back from Correa, he aligned Ter Stegen closely. But with the end of the shoe, Ronald Auraujo relieved his people on his line. It was a frightened Barça who won tonight. Perhaps muzzled by the fear of experiencing another white year, after another elimination in the first round of the Champions League.