Barcelona move clear at the top after Fermín López’s double stuns Atlético Madrid

They had been in a battle, they had been behind and they had been on edge, but Barcelona found a way through, holding on to their place at the top of the table and holding the doubts at bay for another day. A fortnight in which they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid , in which they might have wondered if something was not right, ended with a 2-1 win at Atlético Madrid. This was a proper test and a proper game, 10 World Cup winners on the field and first place awaiting the winner, and at the end of an intense enjoyable night, that was Hansi Flick’s side. At a noisy Metropolitano, the atmosphere matching the occasion, against a frenetic Atlético side that went for the throat, Barcelona trailed to a Giuliano Simeone goal and for a while in a frenzied first half it looked like there may be no way back. But they found it, two goals from Fermín López either side of the break leading them to the kind of victory that brings a reward beyond the points. It hadn’t been easy but they had made it; ultimately, they might conclude they had found a way to manage it too, some satisfaction in the suffering, in how they resisted and re-established control amid the chaos. Continue reading...