Barcelona 1-0 Atletico Madrid: Joao Felix haunts parent club by coolly chipping in only his second LaLiga goal this season as Xavi’s side leapfrog visitors into third place

• Joao Felix scored in the first half to secure a hard-fought 1-0 home win
• The Portuguese netted with a fine finish over Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak
• Raphael Varane row is undermining United boss Erik ten Hag – It’s All Kicking Off 

Joao Felix took sweet revenge on Diego Simeone scoring the only goal of the game as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0.

Simeone has suffered a Nou Camp curse over the 11 years of his tenure in Madrid, never having beaten Barcelona away from home.

If he thought the game being played away from Barcelona’s old stadium might help end that miserable run he was wrong and it was the player he has never made any secret of wanting out of the club who did for him and his team.

Joao Felix has a contract with Atletico Madrid until 2029. They are hoping he will play well enough for Barcelona that the Catalan club will decide to buy him next summer – it just wasn’t part of the plan that he would score against them.

It wasn’t just about Joao Felix, Barcelona’s stand-in keeper Inaki Pena was outstanding in the second half making two goal stopping saves to prevent a late Atletico Madrid equaliser.

Barcelona’s Joao Felix scored in the first half to secure a hard-fought 1-0 home win

The Portuguese netted with a fine finish over goalkeeper Jan Oblak from a counter-attack

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Barcelona played like the champions they are – and no one has been able to say that too often this season. Robert Lewandowski should have put them ahead early on but he shinned one effort wide and headed another chance clear perhaps believing he was in an offside position.

Atletico Madrid failed to muster a single shot on target in the first period but it was not for the want of trying. Simeone’s side are scoring more goals than at any time since he took over the side were swamped in midfield by Ilkay Gundogan, playing his best game in a Barca shirt since he moved from Manchester City. Frenkie de Jong was also superb as was a revitalized Pedri who looked back to his best post-injury.

Barcelona dominated defensively too with Jules Kounde the reluctant but highly effective right-back and Ronaldo Araujo imperious in the centre of defence alongside Andreas Christensen who was a very late call-up after Iñigo Martinez was injured in the warm-up.

Joao Felix’s goal came on 28 minutes. Raphinha played him in and he got away from Nahuel Molina before lobbing Jan Oblak to score.

Would he celebrate? Of course he would. He stood on the advertising hoarding and opened his arms to the Barcelona supporters. 

‘The celebration was spontaneous. It was just my relief after everything that I had to go through in the summer. The people close to me know what I went through.’ he said afterwards.

He spent the most of the match drawing fouls from former team-mates. Cesar Azpilicueta came on at the break and was booked for his first challenge on the Joao Felix. There were early cards for Jose Gimenez and Axel Witsel as they struggled to deal with Barcelona’s going forward.

Memphis Depay’s free-kick was tipped on to the crossbar by Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena

Ilkay Gundogan played his best game in a Barca shirt since he joined from Man City

Simeone made three changes at half time and Atletico turned the screw late on when Pena came into his own. Memphis came on with 25 minutes left and his thunderous free-kick was bound for the roof of the net but the 24-year-old, making only his second league start of the season, pushed the shot onto the crossbar.

There was still another opportunity for Atletico to equalise but again they could not beat Pena. Another of the substitutes had the chance but with a strong outstretched arm he batted away the shot from Angel Correa.

Barcelona played out time without too many more scares and move three points clear of Atletico Madrid who still have a game in hand of them.

For Simeone it was a case of different stadium, same old story – another defeat to Barcelona away, and this time at the hands of their reserve keeper and a striker that he demanded be sent out on loan in the summer.

MATCH FACTS

Barcelona: Pena, J Kounde, R Araujo, Joao Cancelo, A Christensen, F De Jong, Pedri (F Lopez, 89), I Gundogan, Raphinha (F Torres), Joao Felix (L Yamal 77), R Lewandowski, I Martinez

Subs not used: Alex Balde, O Romeu, S Roberto, D Kochen, A Astralaga 

Goal: Joao Felix 28

Atletico Madrid: J Oblak, J Gimenez (Samuel Lino, 45), M Hermoso, A Witsel, N Molina (C Azpili, 45), R Riquelme (A Correa, 45), R de Paul, Kokey (S Niguez, 66), Marcos Llorente, A Griezmann, A Morata (M Depay, 65)

Subs not used: Javi Galan, R Mandava, C Soyuncu, S Savic, A Gomis, I Grbic 

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