Robert Lewandowski used his shoulder to bundle home a chaotic late winner as Barcelona snatched a 2-1 victory at Atletico Madrid to move SEVEN points clear at the top of La Liga after Real Madrid slipped up earlier in the day.
Second placed Real were beaten 2-1 at Mallorca. Barca, smelling blood, turned the screw at the Metropolitano. And now the title is theirs to throw away.
Marcus Rashford yes, that Marcus Rashford dragged the visitors level after Giuliano Simeone had opened the scoring for the hosts. Then came the chaos. Atletico midfielder Nico Gonzalez was sent off just before half time, leaving Diego Simeone’s men to dig in with 10 men for the entire second half.
They nearly pulled it off. Nearly.
Lewandowski, who started on the bench, had other ideas. The veteran Pole reacted quickest after Juan Musso parried Joao Cancelo’s shot, using his shoulder to force the ball over the line from point blank range. It was ugly. It was desperate. It was absolutely vital.
“We all knew what happened in the afternoon,” Barca defender Eric Garcia told DAZN afterwards. “We knew that if we won today we would be taking a big step. So we’re very happy.”
The Rashford redemption arc continues?
On loan from Manchester United and given a rare league start, the England forward opened his account for the night after just three minutes of Barca falling behind. A tidy exchange with Dani Olmo, a drilled finish past Musso. Simple. Effective.
It is only his third league start since January, but he is making them count.
Red card chaos and VAR drama
Atletico were reduced to 10 men just before the interval when Nico Gonzalez scythed down Lamine Yamal on the edge of the box as the teenager raced towards goal. No complaints there.
But the real controversy came early in the second half. Barca’s Gerard Martin was shown a straight red for thumping the ball away and catching Thiago Almada with a high foot. Atletico thought they had their lifeline.
Then VAR intervened. The red card was revoked. And the home bench lost their collective minds.
“I think it was a red card for them too, the referee saw it on the pitch,” a frustrated Musso told DAZN. “But this doesn’t take our confidence away. When it was 11 against 11 we were better.”
What this means
Barca are now seven points clear at the top. Real Madrid are stumbling. And the title is very much in Catalonia’s hands.
But this was just the first act of a trilogy. These two sides meet again in the Champions League quarter finals over the next fortnight, starting with Wednesday’s trip to Camp Nou.
Atletico will be wounded. Barca will be buzzing. And Lewandowski, who was rested until the 68th minute, will be licking his lips.
The veteran striker has done it before. He is doing it again. And Barca are one step closer to defending their crown.
