Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona result, final score as Ousmane Dembele goal gives Barca win, lead atop La Liga table
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona result, final score as Ousmane Dembele goal gives Barca win, lead atop La Liga table
Kyle Bonn
4 hours ago•26 min read
Getty Images
It wasn’t exactly a glittering performance, but the result will matter far more as Barcelona passed a tough test to build a three-point advantage at the top of the La Liga table by beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the Spanish capital.
Ousmane Dembele’s 21st minute goal was enough to see out the result in an otherwise drab affair that featured more discussions with the match official than chances on goal.
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Atletico Madrid were especially wasteful, making poor choices in the attacking third on multiple occasions as they squandered their few opportunities in front of net. The hosts finally sprung to life in second-half injury time, but it was too little too late as Ronald Araujo came up with a huge block off the line at the death to keep Antoine Griezmann out. The moment was a fitting cap to the Frenchman’s especially disappointing evening.
The match was ugly at times throughout the 90 minutes, coming to a head as both Stefan Savic and Ferran Torres were sent off in stoppage time after a wrestling match off the ball.
The end result sees Barcelona go three points clear at the top of the La Liga table, creating a gap above second-placed Real Madrid after Los Blancos fell to Villarreal a day earlier.
MORE: La Liga top goalscorers for 2022/23 season as players chase suspended Lewandowski
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona final score
1H 2H Score
Atletico Madrid 0 0 0
Barcelona 1 0 1
Goals:
21st min — BAR — Ousmane Dembele
Starting lineups:
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2, right to left): 13. Oblak (GK) — Reinildo (Sergio Reguilon, 82'), 2. Gimenez, 23. 15. Savic, 16. Molina — 14. Llorente, 6. Koke (Lemar, 74'), 34. Barrios (Kondogbia, 65'), 21. Carrasco (Morata, 65') — 8. Griezmann, 7. Felix (Correa, 74').
Barcelona (4-4-2, right to left): 1. Ter Stegen (GK) — 23. Kounde, 15. Christensen, 4. Araujo, 28. Balde (Alonso, 82') — 30. Gavi (Raphinha, 74'), 5. Busquets (Sergi Roberto, 82'), 21. De Jong (Kessie, 58'), 8. Pedri — 10. Fati (Torres, 58'), 7. Dembele.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona post-match analysis
Barcelona defensively strong, but weak up front without Lewandowski
Barcelona defenders Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen will get the plaudits from this match, and rightly so for their gritty performance. In truth, the entire Barcelona lineup should see some kind of respect after this 90 minutes which proved they won't back down from an opponent hoping to grind them down physically.
Still, it's tough to come away from this match and not be worried about Barcelona's attacking unit in the absence of Robert Lewandowski, who is suspended for two more games. Xavi chose to play two natural wingers in Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati up front in a strike partnership, and while Dembele got his goal, Fati's more central role was a flop.
With Ferran Torres now sure to be banned for multiple games after his red card for violent conduct, Xavi may have a think about deploying Memphis Depay, who was quality for the Netherlands at the World Cup once he returned from injury. If Depay isn't used now, when will he ever see minutes at the Camp Nou?
Antoine Griezmann fails to bring World Cup form back to Spain
While the entire Atletico Madrid attack failed miserably in this match and shouldn't escape criticism, it was the disastrous performance of Antoine Griezmann that was the most glaring.
After putting in a sensational four weeks in Qatar, Griezmann has returned to the club level and fallen flat, with today's performance a perfect example of his failings since. His set-pieces were poor, his shot selection was horrendous, and his finishing failed the test as well.
Griezmann completed just 10 of his 22 attempted passes, and of his whopping seven shots on the evening, three were blocked and only two reached the intended target. Diego Simeone may have a long think about moving Griezmann back into the midfield role he excelled in at the World Cup, rather than this advanced position he has been utilized in since returning from Qatar.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona live updates, highlights, commentary
FULLTIME: Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona
That's all at the Wanda Metropolitano, as Atletico Madrid fall short despite Barcelona not at their best. It's a disappointing evening from both sides, but moreso for the hosts as they were extremely wasteful in front of goal and now sit outside the La Liga's top four.
For Barcelona, it was far from pretty, but they hang on at the end to build a small lead at the top of the Spanish top-flight. The most impressive players were the centre-backs Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, who both had big moments to help keep Atleti off the scoresheet.
Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: Second Half
90+6 min: With a free-kick opportunity centrally above the 18-yard box, Antoine Griezmann blasts into the wall, deflected out for a corner by Ronald Araujo. Jan Oblak is up for the ensuing corner, but it's cleared well without a shot on net. Time ticking down...
90+4 min: Chance, Atletico Madrid! WHAT A BLOCK FROM ARAUJO! Antoine Griezmann is denied at the doorstep! A wonderful vertical ball springs Angel Correa, and he feed the Frenchman in front of net, and while at first it seemed that Marc-Andre ter Stegen had produced an incredible save, replay showed that it actually beat the German goalkeeper, and Ronald Araujo had actually blocked the effort off the line. Sensational stop to save the match!
90+2 min: DOUBLE RED CARD! Stefan Savic is sent off, and then Ferran Torres sees red as well! Replay shows the two are locked in a wrestling match in the penalty area that's more appropriate for WWE than a football match. It felt unfair at first as Savic was shown red, but after giving it a real thought and maybe taking word in his ear from his officiating team, Torres is rightly sent to the showers as well. Both teams down to 10 men!
90+1 min: Finally the hosts have a great move forward, but it comes to nothing, and the official waves away the protests for a penalty! Andreas Christensen has to head away a fantastic delivery on the doorstep that was headed for a tap-in, and then as the ball is cycled back in, Alvaro Morata goes down with his back to goal, with the shouts falling on deaf ears.
89th min: Thomas Lemar is the latest Atletico Madrid player to waste a chance, as he cuts laterally across the top of the penalty area and rips a shot wide across his body and past the right post. A very disappointing day for the hosts in front of goal. They haven't had many good chances, in part because they've wasted moves with very poor shot selections.
87th min: Raphinha earns a yellow card as he's earned the ire of the official, refusing on multiple occasions to go to the touchline after medical treatment was called onto the pitch after he went down defending against Marcos Llorente. Looked like he took a whack on the head from Llorente's trailing leg, but he was up quickly. Still, the official told him to go off and he repeatedly refused, so he's booked. Teammates have to intervene before he sees red for no reason.
85th min: Now a yellow card for Nahuel Molina as he trips Franck Kessie extremely late after the Nigerian had slid well past him. Atletico look more frustrated than anything, as they don't seem good for an equaliser. Neither side seems likely to pick out another goal, to be fair.
82nd min: As play restarts from the substitutions, Andreas Christensen picks up a yellow card for fouling Franck Kessie. This free-kick is too deep for a real effort on goal, but we'll see what Atleti comes up with here. Antoine Griezmann stands over it...and it's awful, as his vertical delivery goes way out of reach and out of play.
Kyle Bonn
4 hours ago•26 min read
Getty Images
It wasn’t exactly a glittering performance, but the result will matter far more as Barcelona passed a tough test to build a three-point advantage at the top of the La Liga table by beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the Spanish capital.
Ousmane Dembele’s 21st minute goal was enough to see out the result in an otherwise drab affair that featured more discussions with the match official than chances on goal.
Top 5 January Transfer Window Targets
Pause
Next video
0:49 / 3:17
Full-screen
Atletico Madrid were especially wasteful, making poor choices in the attacking third on multiple occasions as they squandered their few opportunities in front of net. The hosts finally sprung to life in second-half injury time, but it was too little too late as Ronald Araujo came up with a huge block off the line at the death to keep Antoine Griezmann out. The moment was a fitting cap to the Frenchman’s especially disappointing evening.
The match was ugly at times throughout the 90 minutes, coming to a head as both Stefan Savic and Ferran Torres were sent off in stoppage time after a wrestling match off the ball.
The end result sees Barcelona go three points clear at the top of the La Liga table, creating a gap above second-placed Real Madrid after Los Blancos fell to Villarreal a day earlier.
MORE: La Liga top goalscorers for 2022/23 season as players chase suspended Lewandowski
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona final score
1H 2H Score
Atletico Madrid 0 0 0
Barcelona 1 0 1
Goals:
21st min — BAR — Ousmane Dembele
Starting lineups:
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2, right to left): 13. Oblak (GK) — Reinildo (Sergio Reguilon, 82'), 2. Gimenez, 23. 15. Savic, 16. Molina — 14. Llorente, 6. Koke (Lemar, 74'), 34. Barrios (Kondogbia, 65'), 21. Carrasco (Morata, 65') — 8. Griezmann, 7. Felix (Correa, 74').
Barcelona (4-4-2, right to left): 1. Ter Stegen (GK) — 23. Kounde, 15. Christensen, 4. Araujo, 28. Balde (Alonso, 82') — 30. Gavi (Raphinha, 74'), 5. Busquets (Sergi Roberto, 82'), 21. De Jong (Kessie, 58'), 8. Pedri — 10. Fati (Torres, 58'), 7. Dembele.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona post-match analysis
Barcelona defensively strong, but weak up front without Lewandowski
Barcelona defenders Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen will get the plaudits from this match, and rightly so for their gritty performance. In truth, the entire Barcelona lineup should see some kind of respect after this 90 minutes which proved they won't back down from an opponent hoping to grind them down physically.
Still, it's tough to come away from this match and not be worried about Barcelona's attacking unit in the absence of Robert Lewandowski, who is suspended for two more games. Xavi chose to play two natural wingers in Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati up front in a strike partnership, and while Dembele got his goal, Fati's more central role was a flop.
With Ferran Torres now sure to be banned for multiple games after his red card for violent conduct, Xavi may have a think about deploying Memphis Depay, who was quality for the Netherlands at the World Cup once he returned from injury. If Depay isn't used now, when will he ever see minutes at the Camp Nou?
Antoine Griezmann fails to bring World Cup form back to Spain
While the entire Atletico Madrid attack failed miserably in this match and shouldn't escape criticism, it was the disastrous performance of Antoine Griezmann that was the most glaring.
After putting in a sensational four weeks in Qatar, Griezmann has returned to the club level and fallen flat, with today's performance a perfect example of his failings since. His set-pieces were poor, his shot selection was horrendous, and his finishing failed the test as well.
Griezmann completed just 10 of his 22 attempted passes, and of his whopping seven shots on the evening, three were blocked and only two reached the intended target. Diego Simeone may have a long think about moving Griezmann back into the midfield role he excelled in at the World Cup, rather than this advanced position he has been utilized in since returning from Qatar.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona live updates, highlights, commentary
FULLTIME: Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona
That's all at the Wanda Metropolitano, as Atletico Madrid fall short despite Barcelona not at their best. It's a disappointing evening from both sides, but moreso for the hosts as they were extremely wasteful in front of goal and now sit outside the La Liga's top four.
For Barcelona, it was far from pretty, but they hang on at the end to build a small lead at the top of the Spanish top-flight. The most impressive players were the centre-backs Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, who both had big moments to help keep Atleti off the scoresheet.
Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: Second Half
90+6 min: With a free-kick opportunity centrally above the 18-yard box, Antoine Griezmann blasts into the wall, deflected out for a corner by Ronald Araujo. Jan Oblak is up for the ensuing corner, but it's cleared well without a shot on net. Time ticking down...
90+4 min: Chance, Atletico Madrid! WHAT A BLOCK FROM ARAUJO! Antoine Griezmann is denied at the doorstep! A wonderful vertical ball springs Angel Correa, and he feed the Frenchman in front of net, and while at first it seemed that Marc-Andre ter Stegen had produced an incredible save, replay showed that it actually beat the German goalkeeper, and Ronald Araujo had actually blocked the effort off the line. Sensational stop to save the match!
90+2 min: DOUBLE RED CARD! Stefan Savic is sent off, and then Ferran Torres sees red as well! Replay shows the two are locked in a wrestling match in the penalty area that's more appropriate for WWE than a football match. It felt unfair at first as Savic was shown red, but after giving it a real thought and maybe taking word in his ear from his officiating team, Torres is rightly sent to the showers as well. Both teams down to 10 men!
90+1 min: Finally the hosts have a great move forward, but it comes to nothing, and the official waves away the protests for a penalty! Andreas Christensen has to head away a fantastic delivery on the doorstep that was headed for a tap-in, and then as the ball is cycled back in, Alvaro Morata goes down with his back to goal, with the shouts falling on deaf ears.
89th min: Thomas Lemar is the latest Atletico Madrid player to waste a chance, as he cuts laterally across the top of the penalty area and rips a shot wide across his body and past the right post. A very disappointing day for the hosts in front of goal. They haven't had many good chances, in part because they've wasted moves with very poor shot selections.
87th min: Raphinha earns a yellow card as he's earned the ire of the official, refusing on multiple occasions to go to the touchline after medical treatment was called onto the pitch after he went down defending against Marcos Llorente. Looked like he took a whack on the head from Llorente's trailing leg, but he was up quickly. Still, the official told him to go off and he repeatedly refused, so he's booked. Teammates have to intervene before he sees red for no reason.
85th min: Now a yellow card for Nahuel Molina as he trips Franck Kessie extremely late after the Nigerian had slid well past him. Atletico look more frustrated than anything, as they don't seem good for an equaliser. Neither side seems likely to pick out another goal, to be fair.
82nd min: As play restarts from the substitutions, Andreas Christensen picks up a yellow card for fouling Franck Kessie. This free-kick is too deep for a real effort on goal, but we'll see what Atleti comes up with here. Antoine Griezmann stands over it...and it's awful, as his vertical delivery goes way out of reach and out of play.
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