Barcelona will spend the international break five points clear at the top of LaLiga, and they owe much of that cushion to Fermín López. The midfielder scored twice on Sunday night as Hansi Flick’s side came from behind to win 2-1 at Atlético Madrid in a meeting of the division’s top two.
The visitors survived a frantic start. Joan García had to rush out to deny Julián Álvarez inside the first few minutes, Marc Pubill nodded a corner onto the bar and Pedri struck the frame at the other end. Atlético then broke quickly in the tenth minute, Lee Kang-in and Álvarez combining before Giuliano Simeone finished.
Barça gradually took charge of the ball, and their patience paid off right on half-time when Fermín pounced after a poor clearance to level. He admitted afterwards the goal settled nerves: “once we scored, we felt more at ease.”
Flick changed the shape at the break, sending on Frenkie de Jong at right-back in place of Brian Fariñas, and his team pressed much higher. Midway through the second half Lamine Yamal slid a clever pass into Fermín’s run, and the midfielder steered a first-time finish past Jan Oblak. From there Barcelona kept possession calmly and Atlético rarely threatened again.
There was extra satisfaction for the Catalans, whose European run and domestic cup hopes were both ended by Atlético last season. Before the game, players and fans stood silent in memory of Jesús de Miguel.
Asked to rate how much it mattered to lead going into the break, Flick gave it ten out of ten, adding that victories in this stadium never come easily. Real Madrid are now the closest challengers, with Atlético five points back.
