When Alexander Sorloth deposited a 97th-minute winner for Atletico Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium on Saturday, history came toppling down in more ways than one.
Barcelona were in firm control nearly the entire way through and seemed poised to run away with the match as they went in front on Pedri’s 30th-minute opener. Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak was pummeled repeatedly and the visitors had little themselves as they failed to muster a shot before halftime.
But through a 60th-minute equalizer by Rodrigo de Paul and the late Sorloth winner, both against the run of play, Diego Simeone’s side secured a 2-1 victory against Barcelona to see themselves move atop the La Liga table. They came into the match level with the Catalan giants on points, only behind on goal difference, and jockeyed themselves into the lead with the dramatic win.
Yet the moment represented so much more than just a seismic shift in La Liga’s title race. It was also a massive shift in the lopsided history between these two teams.
Incredibly, the victory was Simeone’s first ever road win at Barcelona in La Liga play, having failed to secure a win in any of the previous 17 attempts. Up to that point, he had only been able to muster seven draws at Barcelona, along with 10 defeats.
From a wider perspective, it was the first time Atletico Madrid had won a road game at Barcelona in any competition since February of 2006, when they walked out of the Camp Nou as 3-1 winners. On that day, a 22-year-old Fernando Torres scored a decisive brace to give Atleti manager Pepe Murcia a memorable win.
Since then, Atletico had gone 25 straight games at Barcelona without victory, as the Camp Nou proved a house of horrors for the club. Even the nearby Olympic Stadium seemed to carry the same black magic as Barcelona won a 1-0 victory last year having moved temporarily to accommodate renovations at their famed home ground.
That was until Sorloth skewered Barcelona late on Saturday, and that long streak came crashing down. Simeone, in his jubilation, ran straight down the tunnel to celebrate, not even enjoying the moment on the pitch.
One streak, however, still remains intact. Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann failed with what could be his last chance to score a league goal against Barcelona for his longtime club. The France international has scored against each of the other 29 La Liga opponents he’s faced with Atleti, but has never scored on Barcelona in 17 league games.
Rumored to be leaving Atleti at the end of this season, he may not get another chance to complete the set. Yet he likely won’t care, as his side are firmly in command of the Spanish top-flight title race, leading by three points through 18 matches while holding a game in hand.
