MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid squandered a two-goal advantage during their 4-2 defeat against Barcelona in the Spanish league on Sunday, marking yet another challenge for the team following its previous issues. knocked out by Real Madrid in the Champions League .
Four days after suffering defeat against Real Madrid in a penalty shootout, Atletico played at the Metropolitano Stadium. They took an early lead with a 2-0 advantage by halftime but allowed two late goals during stoppage time, which cost them the opportunity to surpass Barcelona for second place and come within one point of leaders Madrid.
It was an odd match; we performed admirably in the opening half and managed to keep things under control following our two goals," remarked Atletico player Marcos Llorente. "I believe the extended 120 minutes from the UEFA Champions League took their toll, leading to a drop in energy towards the conclusion.
The defeat left third-placed Atletico four points behind its two rivals at the top of the league on 60 points each, with Barcelona having a game in hand. Madrid won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday.
Lamine Yamal found the back of the net just before stoppage time ended, followed by Ferran Torres scoring an additional six minutes afterward, securing Barcelona’s hard-fought comeback win.
"It's a declarative victory for us, enabling us to take back the lead with an extra game up our sleeve," Yamal stated.
Julián Álvarez had given Atletico the lead following a breakout shortly before half-time. Earlier in the week, during the penalty shoot-out against Madrid, his unconventional two-touch effort contributed to Atletico’s exit from the Champions League on Wednesday.
Atletico extended their advantage when Alexander Sorloth, who came off the bench, scored from within the penalty box in the 70th minute. Robert Lewandowski, the top goalscorer in the league, reignited Barca's hopes by scoring in the 72nd minute. Finally, Torres leveled the score with a headed goal following a cross from Raphinha in the 78th minute.
We need to commend them," stated Atletico's coach Diego Simeone. "A touch of fortune played into it, as it happens at times. Although we managed some opportunities during our counters, we failed to capitalize on them. Barcelona certainly stands out as an excellent squad.
When Atletico faced Barcelona at home during their initial Spanish league game of the season in December, they won with a score of 2-1. In the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey held last month, the two teams played to a 4-4 tie in the first leg. The second leg is scheduled for April.
Sports team geared up for Champions League spot
Athletic Bilbao secured their fourth-place standing with a 1-0 victory against Sevilla.
Yeray Álvarez headed in a goal in the 84th minute, securing Athletic's away win and placing them eight points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal, who still have an extra match to play.
It was Athletic's second win in a row after three straight matches without a victory across all tournaments. It came off a 3-1 win over Roma to reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
Real Betis rallies
Sixth-placed Real Betis rallied from two goals down at halftime to win 3-2 at relegation-threatened Leganes, with Cucho Hernández scoring the winner in the 82nd.
The leaders took an early advantage as Dani Raba found the back of the net in the 29th and again just before halftime in the 44th minute. However, Betis managed to level the score with goals from Isco in the 64th minute and Cédric Bakambu in the 78th.
The win marked Betis' third consecutive triumph across all tournaments, whereas Leganes, occupying the 18th spot, suffered their second defeat consecutively.
On Sunday, Rayo Vallecano, who are ninth place, played out a 2-2 draw against visiting Real Sociedad, ranked twelfth, at their own stadium. This result marks six successive games without a victory for Real Sociedad across all contests. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano has not tasted victory in their last five league fixtures.
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