Dembele on target as Barcelona defeats Atletico Madrid

• Atletico Madrid hosted La Liga leaders at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday evening
• Barcelona needed to win to go clear at the top of the table, while Atleti needed to close in with the top three
• A sole goal from Ousmane Dembele sealed all the points for Barcelona on Sunday

Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid with the game’s lone goal from Ousmane Dembele to move three points clear atop La Liga.

Xavi’s team had the potential to gain some breathing room at the top after Real Madrid’s loss to Villarreal on Saturday, and they seized that chance with a strong performance at the Civitas Metropolitano.

The toothless Rojiblancos were able to be defeated by Dembele’s calm first-half performance, which caused them to drop to fifth position.

The Blaugrana, who were without the suspended Robert Lewandowski, withstood a tough test to record their first top-flight victory since the World Cup break. However, Stefan Savic and Ferran Torres were both dismissed for a late off-the-ball altercation.

Barcelona players celebrate after Ousmane Dembele scored the winning goal in the La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, January 8 2023. | PHOTO; Spanish News |

Savic and Jose Gimenez made vital blocks to keep Ansu Fati from scoring, and Barca rapidly established their dominance in the game by controlling possession.

In the 22nd minute, Pedri surged into the area and passed the ball to Gavi, who then put it in the path of Dembele, who finished with right-footed precision to score a fantastic first goal.

Soon after, Jan Oblak stopped Pedri from scoring a second goal. Still, Atleti continued to threaten, as Jose Gimenez’s header went just wide before Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a spectacular one-handed save to stop Antoine Griezmann’s drive.

Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele celebrate after scoring in the La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid. | PHOTO: MSC |

Griezmann, a former player for Barcelona, had another opportunity early in the second half but missed the goal from eight yards out.

A ball caught Atleti off guard over the top, and Savic once more saved the day by deflecting the dangerous Dembele’s attempt wide.

Savic and Torres were sent off after a fight, and Griezmann had a shot pushed off the line as Barca hung on for a significant victory. There was late drama.

Barcelona end Metropolitano curse

Barca had been defeated without scoring a goal in their previous two trips to the Metropolitano, but they showed the tenacity required to claim a championship.

Although their first La Liga match following the World Cup ended in a furious draw with Espanyol, they were brilliant in the first half and really rolled up their sleeves to defeat Diego Simeone’s tenacious team.

Atleti is now behind Real Betis in the race to make the Champions League after suffering their fifth La Liga loss of the year.

Dembele stuns again

Another energetic performance by the direct Dembele, whose pace, power, and talent gave Atleti a lot of trouble.

Currently, across all competitions, the France international has seven goals and an equal number of assists this season. The only players in LaLiga with five goals and five assists each are Dembele and Griezmann.