March 18, (THEWILL)- Barcelona rounded off a successful week with an emphatic 3-0 away victory over Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Sunday evening. The Catalan club extended their unbeaten league run to 10 matches with the win at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Atletico came into the match seeking to rebound from inconsistent league form but fell behind just before halftime when Joao Felix slotted in a cool finish from an Ilkay Gundogan pass. Barcelona doubled their lead shortly after the restart as Robert Lewandowski showed his predatory instincts to bury a tight-angled shot.
The result was put beyond doubt in the hour mark when FermÃn Lopez powered in a towering header from Lewandowski’s cross. Despite late pressure from Atletico, which saw them reduced to 10 men in stoppage time, Barcelona were worthy winners on the night.
The victory lifts Barcelona to second place in the table prior to the international break. While an unlikely title challenge remains some way off given Real Madrid’s eight-point advantage, Xavi will be pleased with his team’s steady progress as they aim to build on the positives of their Champions League triumph over Inter in midweek.
Atletico, meanwhile, have work to do to rediscover consistency after the defeat, which marks a second home loss in La Liga already this season. Diego Simeone will hope for an upturn when domestic action resumes after the international break.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
