Lionel Messi’s late winner sinks Atlético Madrid and puts Barcelona top
There were six minutes left on a wet, wild night in Madrid and somehow there still had not been any goals, when Lionel Messi raised his arms on the right. The message was clear. “Give me the ball.” So they did. As soon as he got it, just about everyone in the stadium knew what he would try but that did not mean they could stop him. He ran inside, away from Thomas Partey, away from Saúl Niguez and rolled it into Luis Suárez, on the edge of the area. There, the Uruguayan did what he had to do and gave it right back. Messi bent it first time inside the far post, beyond the dive of Jan Oblak.
In that moment Barcelona beat Atlético Madrid to go back to the top of the table. There had been 30 shots: they had come back off the line, off the post and off the goalkeepers. Now at last one had gone in. It had been 0-0 until then, but this was not one of those games, of the type Atlético are accused of producing too often. Instead, it was a whole lot of fun and now it had an end worthy of what went before. Barcelona had not had this easy, especially not in the opening half-hour, but they had the victory. Messi had been decisive but so, too, had been Marc-André ter Stegen.
To begin with, Atlético dominated. By the time João Félix’s effort flashed wide on the half-hour, the home side had racked up nine shots to Barcelona’s one and, while eight had been off target, there were moments when the visitors seemed to be hanging on. They did not have the ball often and, when they did, it was not much better. It may even have been worse, possession an invitation for Atlético to take it from them and in even more compromising positions. Every time Atlético pressed, Barcelona looked like prey. On the touchline Diego Simeone was conducting the crowd and his team, sensing the fear. Junior, Ivan Rakitic, Frenkie De Jong, Arthur – all of them were caught. Atlético used it well, usually looking right where the quality and quantity of the crosses delivered by Kieran Trippier was startlingly high, even if a breakthrough remained elusive.
Quite how was another question. Mario Hermoso’s pull back deflected off Junior and bounced off the far post, squirming wide. Even more baffling was Hermoso’s volley from a similar position skidding past the same post. Félix had found him with a wonderful ball and, four yards out, his volley hit the inside of Ter Stegen’s left heel, changing course, running the length of the line and wide. Yet another lovely ball from Trippier saw Álvaro Morata powering a header goalwards a few minutes before the break. Ter Stegen’s hands moved fast to push it away.
By then, though, this had become far more even – quick, open, enjoyable. Signs of a recovery, some football, had perhaps surprisingly started with Sergi Roberto and both Arthur Melo and De Jong began to get hold of the ball. So did Messi – and that changes everything. On 25 minutes he stole possession and slotted it across to Suárez who let it run through his legs. Dashing into the area behind him, Rakitic could not steer past Oblak. There was life in this and a lot of life in Barcelona.
Trippier then had to be alert as Barcelona broke, Suárez and Gerard Piqué running alone into the wide space of Atlético’s half. Next Antoine Griezmann did well to set up a Suárez shot that flew just wide. And four minutes before half time Piqué’s header came down off the turf and then off the bar. There was still time for Trippier to charge down Junior’s shot. Almost 20 shots, no goals, game on.
As it turned out, it was more Barcelona now but it was far from oneway, shown when Clement Lenglet and Rakitic had to dive in on shots from Thomas and Ángel Correa. Oblak saved from Messi, then from Suárez. Messi’s best opening ended with Hermoso blocking his shot. Then he dashed from deep, through the middle, evaded two attempts to cut him down, scrambling the ball to Suárez who dinked it to Griezmann. He volleyed over. The fans enjoyed that and Atlético roared back, Lenglet forced to clear Morata’s backheel off the line. But then the moment came and Messi set off on one last, decisive run.