Wednesday December 3, 2025
Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday to open a four-point cushion at the top of La Liga, a measured, resilient performance punctuated by timely goals and late composure at the Olympic Stadium. The result adds breathing room in the title race ahead of Real Madrid’s visit to injury-hit Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night.
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Atletico struck first, forcing Barcelona to chase a game that had already tilted on a first-half turning point. Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty before the interval, a squandered chance that could have rattled a side under pressure. Instead, Barcelona steadied. Raphinha equalized before halftime, restoring momentum and belief in a match that was sliding away from the hosts.
The second half hinged on Barcelona’s sharpness in decisive moments. Dani Olmo put Barcelona ahead in the 65th minute, a cool finish that rewarded the home side’s persistence after the break. Atletico then spent a spell pushing for parity and carved out a clear opening, breaking through the Barcelona defense only to pull the shot narrowly wide. With the visitors stretched late on, Ferran Torres sealed the points with a third goal near the end.
Barcelona, however, finished with fresh injury concerns. Olmo appeared to suffer a shoulder problem after his decisive contribution, and Pedri also limped off in the closing stages. The extent of the issues was not immediately clear, but both developments will be closely watched with a demanding winter schedule ahead.
The victory underscores Barcelona’s blend of grit and opportunism. Missing a first-half penalty can deflate a team; instead, the hosts found a response before the break, then wrested control in the match’s critical third quarter. Raphinha’s equalizer changed the tone, and Olmo’s strike in the 65th minute shifted the burden onto Atletico. From there, Barcelona protected their lead and capitalized on space when Atletico chased the game late, with Torres providing the final margin.
For Atletico, the night turned on small margins. The early lead and a gilt-edged second-half chance suggested a point—if not more—was there. But the missed opportunity at 1-1 and a lack of precision in the final third left them chasing, and Barcelona’s late counterpunch settled it. The defeat dents Atletico’s momentum against a direct rival and compounds the challenge of keeping pace at the top as the calendar tightens.
The result leaves Barcelona in control of the league table, at least for 24 hours. Real Madrid’s trip to Athletic Bilbao looms over the midweek round, a test for a Madrid side managing its own injury issues. Barcelona’s win ensures the pressure is applied elsewhere and the onus is on Madrid to answer.
Elsewhere in Spain, the Copa del Rey returned with a flurry of second-round ties, highlighted by top-flight clubs navigating awkward away trips to lower-division opponents. There was little room for complacency, but several favorites progressed with authority:
- Deportivo Alaves advanced comfortably, beating fifth-tier Portugalete 3-0 away to book a place in the last 32.
- Mallorca edged a lively encounter 3-2 at fourth-tier Numancia, with Abdon Prats scoring twice. The top-flight side endured a tense final 15 minutes after Numancia’s second goal but saw out the win.
- Osasuna came from a goal down to win 5-3 at Ebro. Raul Garcia scored twice, while Moi Gomez, Sheraldo Becker and Victor Munoz were also on the scoresheet. The eight-goal affair again underlined Osasuna’s ongoing challenges away from home, even in victory.
Back in La Liga, Barcelona’s night was ultimately about managing the moments that decide tight matches. The penalty miss did not derail them; the equalizer arrived with timing that mattered; and the second-half finish was clinical enough to resist an Atletico rally. The injuries cloud the glow but not the significance: a four-point lead is tangible leverage in a title race that rarely offers it.
As Madrid prepare for Bilbao, Barcelona have their points in the bank and a platform on which to build. What comes next will hinge partly on the health of key midfielders and creators, and partly on whether Tuesday’s clarity in both boxes can be sustained. For now, the league leaders have done their job, exerting control in December’s first act and asking their nearest challengers to keep pace.
La Liga title races often turn on winter weeks such as these—when fixture lists tighten, squads are stretched and dropped points reverberate. Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Atletico is both a statement and a safeguard, ensuring that, wherever Madrid land in Bilbao, the leaders enter the weekend still setting the pace.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
