"Felix owned his own club", "We are winning the league" - Barcelona fans gain confidence after beating Atletico Madrid
Barcelona fans online are pleased after the Blaugrana beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Olimpic Lluis Companys Stadium in La Liga on Sunday, December 3.
Joao Felix, who is currently on loan at Barca from Atletico, scored the only goal of the game in the 28th minute. Both sides created plenty of opportunities but failed to capitalise on them. Barca had 13 attempts on goal with two being on target while Atletico had eight attempts with four on target.
With the win, Barcelona are third in La Liga, four points behind leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Girona. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are a further three points behind but have a game in hand.
After the game, Barca fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions to the big win, as one wrote:
"Felix owned his own club"
Another fan tweeted:
"WE ARE WINNING THE LEAGUE"
Xavi Hernandez assesses Barcelona's win over Atletico Madrid
The Blaugrana have started the season well in terms of results but have arguably put in some underwhelming performances in recent games. However, they put in a solid display against Atletico Madrid and could have won by a larger margin.
After the game, Barcelona manager Xavi hailed his side, especially for their ball rotation in midfield and hard work, saying (via Barca Blaugranes):
“The players stepped up their game. I’d highlight the deeper pressure, the good circulation of the ball, a midfield where Gündoğan, Pedri and Frenkie understand each other to perfection, the tight defensive line, Raphinha and Lewandowski working so hard for the attack.
“We could have put the game to bed much earlier, but I’m still very happy and satisfied. We are Barça, so what need to do is play like that all the time."
He also hailed Felix's performance, who completed 38/42 passes, took three shots, won 7/11 ground duels, and scored the winning goal. Xavi said about the attacker:
“João Félix worked very hard, he won back a lot of balls and was very well positioned. He looks happy and I’m very pleased with him ... And Inaki Pena is such an example. He trains hard and that’s why he performs the way he does. He gets ten out of ten for some extraordinary saves.”
Felix has settled in well at Barcelona this season, scoring five goals and providing three assists in 17 games across competitions. He will next be in action when Barca host Girona on Sunday, December 10.