Barcelona come from behind to beat Atletico 3-1 as Dani Olmo suffers injury

Barcelona strengthened its grip atop the Spanish league table by coming from behind to defeat Atletico Madrid 3-1 at Camp Nou on Tuesday, though the victory came at a cost as Dani Olmo sustained a shoulder injury after scoring the decisive goal.

Atletico initially took the lead through Álex Baena in the 19th minute, finishing a breakaway after a long pass from Nahuel Molina. Barcelona responded in the first half as Raphinha found the net in the 26th minute, calmly slotting the ball past Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak following a precise through ball from Pedri.

The match-winning moment arrived in the 65th minute when Olmo fired a left-footed strike into the net to put Barcelona ahead. However, the playmaker fell awkwardly and injured his left shoulder, forcing him to leave the field immediately with the assistance of the club’s medical staff. Despite his pain, Olmo’s goal gave Barcelona a crucial lead, leaving the team four points clear of Real Madrid. Ferran Torres, who replaced Olmo, sealed the victory in stoppage time.

Barcelona had earlier been awarded a penalty when Olmo was fouled by Pablo Barrios in the 36th minute, but Robert Lewandowski missed the chance, sending his shot well over the crossbar. Both teams also faced setbacks with injuries later in the match, as Barcelona saw Pedri substituted in the 74th minute, while Atletico replaced Baena in the 63rd.

After the win, Raphinha highlighted the significance of the three points, saying, “It was a key match and these points could help decide the league in the end.” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak acknowledged Barcelona’s superiority, adding, “We had a couple of chances to equalize, but we couldn’t get it done. Unfortunately, this ends our good run, but we have to lift our heads and move on.”

This 19th-round fixture had been scheduled earlier than usual in preparation for the Spanish Super Cup in January, in which Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao will participate. Atletico, sitting fourth in the standings, now trails Barcelona by six points after a seven-match winning streak across all competitions came to an end.

Barcelona continues to play in a stadium that cannot be filled to capacity due to ongoing renovations, yet the team’s performance showed no signs of slowing down, combining resilience with attacking flair to secure a vital victory.