Atlético Madrid 1 - 0 Barcelona: result, summary, goals
Atlético Madrid 1-0 Barcelona: as it happened
On the whistle report
Atlético Madrid pulled off their first LaLiga win over Barcelona in more than a decade as Yannick Carrasco capitalised on a blunder from Barça keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to secure a 1-0 victory at an empty Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday.
Belgian winger Carrasco broke the deadlock at the end of the first half, pulling off a classy backheel to knock the ball through the legs of Ter Stegen and keep his composure in front of goal after the German had charged out of his area.
Atlético got the victory without joint-top scorer Luis Suárez, who was deprived of a reunion with his former side after testing positive for covid-19, but they were more than worthy winners.
Marcos Llorente nearly gave them an early lead when his shot crashed off the bar, while it took a brilliant save from Ter Stegen to keep out a vicious distance strike from Saúl Niguez.
Barça captain Lionel Messi had a match to forget, creating very little danger, while former Atleti forward Antoine Griezmann missed the target in each half as the Catalans fell to a third defeat of the season, leaving them 10th in the table on 11 points.
Atlético moved up to second in the standings, level on 20 points with leaders Real Sociedad.
Pedri answers questions
Once again Barça have sent out one of the kids to speak to the pitchside cameras after a bad defeat. (And fair play to him, he spoke well)
Where are the experienced players?
It's another three points for Atlético Madrid and one that is more important than others.
It's pushing a decade since Simeone's side has beaten the Catalan giants, and it puts them joint top with a game in hand on Real Sociedad. It also sees them open up a three-point gap to Real Madrid (having played a game less) and leaves Barça nine points adrift.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
FULL-TIME
Peep, peep, peeeeep | The whistle blows, arms are raised, other heads go down, Simeone skips down the tunnel. Atlético have beaten Barcelona
The pressure is on the Atleti defence but each time they are able to get a block or a foot to clear. Barça don't seem to have much real threat to be honest.
Costa does what all Atleti fans want him to do right now. Tries to run the clock down in the corner. He wins a throw deep in Barça territory.
Tick, tock...
There will be 5 minutes of additional time
More danger for the home side as Sergi Roberto lets rip from outside the area. As Oblak steps to the side to make the save, a huge deflection has Rojiblanco hearts in mouths, but the ball bounces wide of the post.
That would have been harsh.
Atlético are happy to hold onto the ball but the fresh legs of the visitors are pressing and making it difficult.
The latest press creates a chance for Braithwaite to strike. Blocked well and Oblak collects.
Subs aplenty
Barça: Griezmann and Pjanic OFF / Trincao and Braithwaite ON
Atlético: Felix and Correa OFF / Lemar and Kondogbia ON
SAVE | Oblak again perfectly placed to deal with a Griezmann header, who could have done better from Messi's whipped delivery.
The free-kick is in perfect Messi territory.
He steps up, curls it over the wall, but it's well wide of the right post.
Savic is booked for a foul. And then the protestations from Gimenez sees him join him. Silly.
It's worth noting that Barça are only ONE goal behind and they do have €550 MILLION-worth of De Jong, Pjanic, Dembélé, Coutinho, and Griezmann to help them find a goal.
Diego Costa is on. The impressive Llorente makes way
Robbie pointing out what we're watching, and anyone who wasn't convinced by their title credentials may pay more attention now. (For the record, Mr Dunne was convinced at the start of the season)
It's all Atlético right now!
A Trippier cross is just too high for Félix's highest leap at the back post, and that threat is followed by a Carrasco cut inside from the left and a crack with his right boot.
Plenty of power but it stays wide of the goal as Ter Stegen just crosses his fingers.
Great play from Llorente and Trippier in behind Jordi Alba, which came on the back of a period of tidy possession from the hosts. The Spaniard's cross is brilliantly blocked by a flying Lenglet before it reaches its target.
The Rojiblanco tails are up higher than before as they knock the ball around with confidence, almost a swagger, in the final third.
Barça have enough game winners on the field though and, given the situation, would probably be happy now to nick a single goal and leave with a point.
CHANCE | Dembélé gets on the end of a pass in space at the edge of the home penalty box and strikes hard. Oblak watches is fly just wide.
It looks like De Jong has gone into the centre of the defence, Dest taking over at right-back and Sergi Roberto moving forward into midfield.
Dest comes on to replace Piqué who limps off almost in tears.
We'll have to see how long this has him out.
Ouchie | Pique is clattered by Correa (not on purpose, the Atleti man fell into his leg after being fouled by Alba) and is going to have to go off. It does not look good and the defender shows that on his face.
SAVE ! It's Lenglet again causing bother for Atleti.
A lovely cross into the area is met by him, completely unmarked. The header is clean but straight at Oblak who gathers at the second attempt.
Coutinho replaces Pedri. Koeman's first change of the game.
Corner to Barça.
Worked back via Messi and lofted high into the danger area. Lenglet rises at the back post and gets a strong header down at Oblak's feet but it's dealt with well and sticks in the gloves.
The home side are creating spaces and are certainly not sitting on this lead, as they would've done in the past. Correa does well to tap the ball into the stride of Trippier and his cross is blocked for a corner.
Nothing comes of the play.
Barça go long, Dembélé is scampering after it but then pulls up as he catches sight of the nearby official holding up a flag.
It's all Atleti at the start of this second half. A decent spell of possession ends with a long cross ball to Llorente, who controls perfectly, and then plays a dangerous ball in that Ter Stegen sorts out with help from his defenders.
As is evident from my last comment, Dembélé appears to have shaken off the knock at the end of the first half.
Ooooh! That was cruel from João Félix, who feigned from the ball to go one way then rolled it through the now open legs of Dembélé before skipping past.
The youngster's cross is cleared well though.
Atlético get us back underway...
The players are heading back out...
OK. Back to thoughts on the second half. There's certainly all to play for...
No doubt both managers will have had to make last-minute changes to their half-time message with Simeone's likely to be tweaked from 'more of the same' to 'let's hold onto this'
How do I sum up that half of football at the Wanda Metropolitano?
A frenetic and very enjoyable opening 20 or so minutes with chances at both ends. The game then settled down, and became much more cagey.
As ref was about to send them all off for oranges and a pep talk, Ter Stegen's rush of blood to the head opened up the goal for Carrasco who didn't waste it.
Let's have a look at what they're saying on Twitter...
HALF-TIME
Peeeeep! Half-time
What on earth was Ter Stegen thinking?
A ball was played forward by Correa, landing not far inside the Barça half but the German sweeper-keeper decided he could beat Carrasco to it. He couldn't!
After touching it past him, the Leti man composed himself and fired home from distance into the empty goal.
Barça's French winger is keeping himself out on the right touchine as far from the play as possible. A teammate decides to pick him out though but the quick return pass is followed by a wince from the number 11
We'll have 3 minutes of added time
Some stoppage to check on Dembélé but he's staying on as we approach half-time. I'll keep an eye on him but he seems to be limping a little.
CHANCE | Messi is fed into the left channel of Oblak's penalty area beautifully, he pauses, shimmies, and upon seeing no support in the area tries to poke an effort as hard as possible towards goal.
It's smothered by the big keeper but was certainly the best opportunity we've had in a while. Out of interest, the through ball to find the number 10 came from Jordi Alba.
The latest spell of Atleti possession ends with a ball over the top but the run forward to meet it is just mistimed, and the flag goes up.
Carrasco gets involved in the centre but is unable to find his man.
Saúl then tries his luck from distance. Based of where the ball ended up I'll not be getting his advice on lottery numbers.
The home side have much more control at this point than the earlier minutes of the game but the threat has also diminished. Neither side have really threatened for a while.
Messi gets to deliver a free kick into the home area on the return of the ref but Atleti make light work of clearing it.
Mic problems for the ref. We have a stoppage in play as Munuera Montero runs to the touchline to fix his body tech.
Taking the very direct approach this time, a long pass from right back to almost the edge of the Barça area is headed back to Ter Stegen by Piqué on the stretch.
Replay shows that it was almost inch perfect to drop on the toes of Félix.
Lovely feet from Llorente gets him out of a tight space beside the right corner flag but the possession comes to an end with a loose pass.
Carrasco into the book for a silly foul in the middle of the park.
There's been a little lull - the first of the game to be fair - in the last couple of minutes.
Atlético are certainly the more direct of the two sides, with Barça, understandably maybe, happier to take their time as they develop the play.
800 not out
Sergi Roberto and Pjanic combine but the effort is delayed and again the home defence stands strong.
Dembélé and Griezmann try to link up, again down the right, but are unable to get in behind the numerous red and white shirts.
Barça, whether on purpose or not to make their opponents forget about the dangers on the other side for a while, have threatened most down the right. Back-to-back corners from that side come to nothing.
There's a nice to-and-fro to this game.
Double chance | Marcos Llorente has the Barça defence in trouble in quick succession.
First his run down the inside right channel allows him to cross low but a yellow-socked leg gets to it first and clears.
Then, from a metre or so deeper, the Spaniard drills his own effort towards goal. It appears to beat Ter Stegen but pings off the crossbar and over.
Messi swings in the deadball but it's headed away simply and effectively.
Dembélé has most of the right wing open to open his legs and cause some danger. As he hits the afterburners his left arm is softly grabbed by Koke and the Frenchman throws himself to the ground.
Yellow for the Leti man, free kick for Messi.
More tidy play from Barça in the middle of the park but Atléti get enough men around the play and nick the ball away. Their attempted break is pulled back for an earlier foul.
The resulting corner is punched clear well by the keeper.
This has been a rather quick start from both sides. Let's hope it keeps up...
SAVE! Ter Stegen called into action as Saúl strikes hard from a pull-back at the edge of the area. The German turns it wide for a corner with a strong hand.
Some patient controlled build-up from the visitors. Working it from left to right the ball then finds its way to Dembélé on the right who fires it across goal.
Griezmann is there but at the front post but pokes it wide. Decent chance.
Barça get us going, wearing their bright yellow strips and Messi immediately takes up the number nine position, just like in El Clasico
Peeeeeeep! We're off
Pitch time
The players are making their way through the tunnel and out onto the turf.
Kick-off is fast approaching
I'm certainly hoping that we won't need to be talking about controversial decisions made by the referee and his colleagues but for your information Jose Luis Munuera Montero will be blowing the whistle tonight.
Hat-trick for balance
Despite him being one of the greatest to have ever graced a football pitch, the idea of the little Argentine taking his total to 29 out of 29 feels a long shot given current form of these teams.
No, I'm not ruling it out.
Pep Guardiola on latest Messi to City talk
Messi moves
A story that dominated the summer transfer window - wow, that feels like a long time ago now - has reemerged over recent days, with talk that Lionel Messi could join up once again with Pep Guardiola.
Well, the Man City boss was asked about it.
"Messi is a player from Barcelona, if you ask me my opinion I have a huge gratitude for what Barcelona has done for me, in the academy, as a player and as a manager, they gave me absolutely everything, what I want is for him to finish his career there,” he said.
“I would love, wish, I have said a thousand times. I would like as a Barcelona fan for him to finish his career then. I don't know what is in his mind, for now he is a Barcelona player. The transfer market is in June. This is only half in our minds.”
That'll be that then...right?
Stepping up
It was a mixed first season for young João Félix following his record move from Portugal. Signs are though that he's starting to settle, and he has scored six goals in his last four appearances for Atleti.
That's the same number as he managed in the previous 26 games.
We consider his potential for ending the season as top scorer.
30 minutes till KO outside the fanless Wanda Metropolitano
Bench options
Coutinho, Braithwaite, Riqui...
If things are not going to plan, who is most likely to add to the necessary magic from the list of Barça substitutes?
Unbeaten
It may still be very early days in the campaign but tonight's hosts are the only side in the league yet to have tasted defeat.
As well as some improvements at the top end of the field - a more experience Félix and a hungry Suárez with unfinished business - Simeone's team remain tight at the back, conceding just two in seven games.
The home side
Atlético Madrid XI: Oblak; Trippier, Savic, Giménez, Hermoso; Marcos Llorente, Koke, Saúl, Carrasco; João Félix, Correa
And a certain Diego Costa on the bench. Could that come in handy later...
The Wanda Metropolitano
Barça's social media team have shared a panoramic of tonight's venue.
It's a lovely modern stadium but I think we can all agree that it would look a whole lot better jam-packed with chanting fans. Hopefully a return to those days is not too far in the future.
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona: preview, team news, predicted XIs
Match preview
As we wait on confirmation of the Atlético team, why not scan your eyes through this preview brought to you by our very own Rob Train.
From the defensive CV of Simeone to his mental block when it comes to the Catalan giants, this provides you with the perfect backdrop to the fixture that lies ahead.
Oh, and he's done pretty well with his team predictions...we'll have to wait and see if he's cashing in on his scoreline.
De Jong and Pjanic start
The two midfielders were doubts earlier in the week but came through the final training session and have clearly proved their fitness to Koeman.
Ahead of them we'll once again see the young Pedri linking up with the experience of Messi and Griezmann, while Dembélé offers an unpredictability even to himself at times.
Team news
We'd normally bring you the home team first but it's the visitors who are the quickest out the blocks tonight.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Pjanić, De Jong; Dembélé, Messi, Pedri; Griezmann
Lacking some of their bite
Luis Suárez was one of the scorers in the previous outing but will be unavailable for Simeone tonight, after he tested positive for covid-19.
That is not just a blow to Atleti's attacking threat but also for onlookers to see him up against his most recent former employers.
The coronavirus also hit Lucas Torreira and he will also be sidelined, while Héctor Herrera, Stefan Savic, Mario Hermoso and Sime Vrsaljko will be out due to injury.
Attacking Atleti
The Rojiblancos under Simeone are well known for their defensive solidity, but finding goals is becoming easier. Last time out they filled the Cádiz net four times.
...Barça's gap
Barça also have two games in hand on the reigning champions but sit a further six points behind, and they will certainly not want to see the gap widen further.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
How LaLiga Santander table looks
As you may have heard, two other teams near the top of the table, Villarreal and Real Madrid, dropped two points in their 1-1 draw earlier today. That will provide our challengers tonight with added incentive to take advantage.
Atlético are in prime position to do so, sitting on the same points as their neighbours but having played two games less.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona: how and where to watch - times, TV, online
Add some visuals to the text
First things first, if you're unsure at what time this game is kicking off in your part of the world, check out our handy guide.
As well as time zones, there is also a preview into the match and useful information about where you can watch the game, although I do hope you'll be staying with me for the next few hours.
LaLiga Santander live: Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona
Good evening from Madrid and a warm welcome to you wherever you are in the world.
What a game we have in store for you, as Diego Simeone's side host a new-look Barça team under the stewardship of Ronald Koeman.
Kick-off is 21:00 local time and our build-up starts here.