Alexander Sørloth stuns Barcelona with last-gasp winner for Atlético Madrid | La Liga

It was 95 minutes into a fight that was building up to a clash of arms that would decide the title, the last seconds ticking away when the man who is looking for everything in the world as a warrior of the cloud delivered the decisive blow. Atlético Madrid they had suffered, they had resisted and, in truth, they had probably longed for that final whistle to go, and then suddenly Alexander Sørloth struck in another late winner. In doing so, Atlético Madrid sent the top table to Christmas and their coach, staff and subs crawling onto the pitch.

The Barcelona fans, meanwhile, bowed and headed straight for the exit, unable to believe what had just happened. What happened was: in the night, when he took the bar and had more than enough chances to win, even deep into the time added, in which Jan Oblak, the best player on the pitch, had been with Pedri; they were somehow defeated. It’s the third season in a row that they’ve lost here in La Liga and the first time they’ve ever fallen at the hands of Atlético led by Simeone Didac and it hurts.

For Atlético, meanwhile, it was a deliverance, perhaps even an appeal to fate. They called it a perfect night for Oblak, another victory sent by them in the battle of the plan. They scored eleven goals for the subs this season, and this was the worst of them all. Certainly a sign. How quickly this, how suddenly. As significantly also, not only here but time.

Both lives had changed after the end of October, and the league had changed with it. Barcelona had been through what Hansi Flick described as a “shit November” but were also beaten in December and threatened with relegation at home against Leganes. Over six games, only five could collect eighteen points, a title that looked lost after the classic season; Meanwhile, Atletico had won eleven in a row, six in La Liga. They went down by ten points, with a game in hand, the title in play.

“It is a key moment and we will be ready,” Flick had said and the players seemed to prove him right, even in the absence of Lamine Yamal. They hadn’t won any of the four games he had missed, and this had to be different. He said two days to clear his “mind”. Atlético flew here, more strongly in all things than they had been recently. Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha led the charge, the latter leaning in on frequent deliveries. Afterwards, Pedri plays at his pace, at once fast and slow, as if he could let out a storm and roll past him.

It was decided to open half an hour before the soft. He started from the left, slipped inside, played the ball at Gavi and ran. Gavi was glad to have returned to him the first time they reached the peristyle, if he understood this, but it is more likely that he was lucky. Either way, Pedri saw if he was the first – Pedri saw everything first – and rushing into the area, Marcos Llorente and Lenglet trying but not to slide with the doors closed, directed the shot beyond Oblak and into the bottom corner.

This is more like Barcelona’s big night, the team that beat Madrid and Bayern, not the one that lost to Leganes and Las Palmas. In short, it may cost them ineffectiveness. Twice Conor Gallagher had to stop Raphinha already, his shot blocked in two minutes and he was limping in his run in front of the goal. That said, Raphinha got after a moment of revenge with a nutmeg on Gallagher.

Jose Maria Giménez and Clemens Lenglet are also often involved, just holding around the gates of Barcelona but they cannot dare themselves. Robert Lewandowski crossed, Gavi headed wide and Pedri saw a lovely leap as Raphinha was released but Lenglet was there again. Oblak and Inigo beat Martínez by beating him. While Atlético came close to releasing runners in the space of two periods, but it was mostly about resistance, until half time Gallagher and Javi Galan for Iulián Álvarez scu-p.

The second half produced a second wave, rather than a reaction and it was Peter controlling the tide. In the first minute Fermin played, he only decided to save the ball with his foot and take away the superb pass from Raphinha. The Brazilian lifted it over the keeper, but the ball came back off the bar when it was really marked. It wasn’t just some.

On the touchline, Simeone was preparing his first change, which tends to change when games change, not in this way. Scored more subs for Atletico than any other team. The next thing is that it is true; lam alone was enough of a threat. Koke and Nahuel Molina stood waiting to be introduced as Atlético drew nowhere. Roderic De Paul, a candidate for probably being withdrawn, put Álvarez on the left-hand side charging beyond the defence. His curling ball was cut out by Marc Casado, who only glanced it for De Paulo to side-foot for a corner.

The score was different, but the game was still not what Simeone’s side was looking for, as the sense of danger was more acute when Giménez was sent off. Barcelona should have taken the lead when Raphinha crossed to Ferran Torres, who put it past Lewandowski. Alone, barely three yards out, he somehow failed to make decent contact with the ball. Shortly after, Atlético could say the same when Álvarez set up Pablo Barrios, a wonderful chance saved by Inaki Pena, but it was a solitary moment.

The end seemed probable: no one had scored more in the last 15 minutes than these two, 13 for Atletico, 12 for Barcelona. And if it were asked who would come there first, the top of the table waiting for whoever did it, Barcelona thought that the answer would be the more certain to be asked.

Ulmo shot into space for a shot that curled just wide and, with five minutes left, Raphinha headed into space, getting the Olympic Stadium to his feet. Oblak somehow saved then, and again a moment later when Pedri stepped in, neatly steering the ball to Ulmo through a leaping foot. That was certainly the case. Again, though, Oblak was there, a huge figure, the last line of Atlético resistance. On the touchline Marcus Sorg, the assistant coach of Barcelona was literally jumping like Yosemite Sam, he could not investigate this.

What followed was more likely, with Molina leaving suddenly and Sørloth providing an epic finish there.

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