Atletico Madrid 2-0 Barcelona: 5 hits and flops as Luis Suarez and Thomas Lemar shoot down insipid Blaugrana | La Liga 2021-22
Atletico Madrid beat Barcelona 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano in La Liga on Saturday.
First-half goals from Thomas Lemar and Luis Suarez secured Rojiblancos their second consecutive home league win over Blaugrana, having also defeated them 1-0 in the same fixture last year.
The defending Spanish champions were the better side from start to finish, constantly catching their visitors on the break and creating better chances too.
It took a while but Atletico went ahead in the 23rd minute following a strike from Lemar. The Frenchman then turned provider for Suarez as the former Barcelona ace bagged his first-ever strike against them.
The scoreline could've easily been more, had the Uruguayan been a little more clinical with his chance earlier. Joao Felix could also have gotten on the scoresheet had he not fired a good opportunity straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
For Barcelona, clear-cut chances were few and far between, but the best one fell to Philippe Coutinho. But he made a mess of it by firing right into Jan Oblak's embrace.
3 - @atletienglish have kept three consecutive clean sheets against Barcelona for the first time in @LaLigaEN history. Wall. https://t.co/K6jLwAxscU
With Ronald Koeman watching from the stands, it was another disappointing performance from his side. It only served to heighten the pressure on the beleaguered manager.
Atletico, meanwhile, showed signs of the team that romped to the La Liga title last season. With this result, they are now level on points with city rivals Real Madrid, who're in action on Sunday.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
Coming up against his former side for only the second time since his infamous switch last year, Luis Suarez knew this would be a special occasion, and he successfully marked the same with a goal.
Suarez dragged one shot wide off the post midway through the opening stanza. But El Pistolero then found another opportunity after Lemar squared the ball to him on the edge of the D.
After sprinting a few yards forward with the ball, he adjusted himself and powerfully slammed the ball into the far post. The finish left Ter Stegen helpless, with Gerard Pique stranded on the goalline.
August 2020: Koeman told Luis Suarez he was too old to perform at the top level.
May 2021: Helps Atletico Madrid win their first La Liga title in seven years, finishing as their top scorer.
October 2021: Scores a goal, gets an assist and defeats Barcelona. https://t.co/m0Q6utmimC
It was only Suarez's fourth top-flight strike of the season, but suffice to say the most special of them all, and yet he didn't celebrate. Instead, he joined his hands to the onlooking Barcelona supporters in an apologizing gesture.
Flop: Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona)
At this point, one cannot help but wonder what exactly Philippe Coutinho's worth to Barcelona is.
The Brazilian had a mediocre 2020-21 season after returning from a successful loan spell with Bayern Munich. But he hasn't offered any great shakes this season either.
Koeman, who was watching his side from the executive box, gave the former Liverpool star another chance to impress by starting him in the XI.
πΈ - Coutinho with the biggest chance of the game for BarΓ§a so far but Oblak saves it. https://t.co/GokSZSazeR
Suffice to say Coutinho blew it with a below-par performance once more. While his passing was good, his attacking involvement was next to zero, and to make matters worse, even spurned an excellent chance in the second half.
Gavi hit Atletico on the break and then squared the ball to Coutinho, who was completely unmarked near the area. He took some time to take the shot and when he finally let rip, fired straight at Jan Oblak despite having much of the goal ahead of him.
An opportunity missed.