FC Barcelona – Atlético Madrid: A step closer (1-0) | FCBarcelona.com
After a wonderful tribute to former striker Enrique Castro ‘Quini,’ the top two teams in La Liga provided incredible entertainment in the heat of battle, and just one goal separated them at the end, a terrific free kick scored in the first half by Lionel Messi.
As might’ve been expected, both teams tried to get a foothold in the match and dictate the rhythm at the earliest opportunity. Barça settled quicker and forced two corners in the opening five minutes alone. Jan Oblak was kept on his toes more than once in those early exchanges and got down smartly at this near post to keep the score goalless. More here.
Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets 8/10 as Barcelona battle to beat Atletico | ESPN
Barcelona had no time to rest after Thursday’s disappointing draw against Las Palmas but still managed to score a hard-fought victory over Atletico, one that puts them on the brink of the title. It wasn’t always pretty but Barcelona slugged away, going blow-for-blow with their hyper-physical opponents and got the win.
“This is how you win La Liga. You have to suffer,” said Sergio Busquets. More here.
Iniesta pulls up with hamstring injury | Marca
As the midfielder kept possession on the 22nd minute of Sunday’s game, he felt the back of his leg and received treatment before playing on.
And the first half wasn’t even over when Iniesta decided that he couldn’t go on, kicking the ball out with acres of space around him to signal the end of his game, at which point Andre Gomes was brought on in his place. More here.
Would Griezmann fit at Barcelona? | The Barcelona Podcast
Join Francesc and Dan as they debate whether Griezmann is actually needed at FC Barcelona following the huge investment the Blaugranas have made in recent times. Your hosts are then joined by the brilliant Eugenia Karolyi to answer your questions in an extended edition of La Ronda de Preguntas. Enjoy!
Busquets criticises La Liga’s planning after Atletico win | Sport
Barça played Las Palmas on Thursday night and Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, played at home on Wednesday.
“Both teams could have played on Wednesday and they put us on Thursday,” he said. “We got back to Barcelona and we had to train without resting. If we’re in the best league in the world, they should do things better. It’s not an excuse. It’s the reality.” More here.
