Atlético 1-2 Barça: Fermín's brace and Julián Álvarez's missed chances

Congratulations to Barça, who won 2–1 at the Metropolitano after coming from behind, but the result could have been very different if they had taken all their chances.

Atlético Madrid had a great first half. Giuliano scored, but they could easily have scored three or four goals.

Well, Barça, who are still giving away far too much at the back, had something similar happen to them as what happened against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, but this time Atlético didn't take advantage.

Julián Álvarez in particular, who comes out more criticized by the fans, had his team's two clearest chances and was the negative standout.

On the positive side, Fermín's two goals and Hansi Flick, who knew how to get things right.

Let's begin.

It's news this morning. Lamine Yamal won't join the national team, at least for the first match, which we play Thursday in Prague against Czechia.

Discomfort in his right knee. He’s expected to be available Sunday against England at the Metropolitano.

Oyarzabal is also out with a flu-like illness, also for now, for the Czechia match.

In a match we’ll now take a closer look at, Barça managed to take all three points and Julián Álvarez couldn’t finish Barça off.

He had his team’s two clearest chances. That said, he assisted Giuliano.

And on the other side, the Lamine-Fermín connection, and Fermín, were enough to take all three points in a good second half.

Now let’s see everything from yesterday at the Met—

That’s how the match ended for Julián Álvarez, surely turning over in his mind what he had missed on two glaring occasions.

And Cholo kept urging them on. and support from the stands for the Argentine.

And said after the match that, yes, he didn't score, but they need him.

We can ask more of him. I think, in truth, we all would have wanted him to have his usual clinical finishing, but we'll wait for him because he's a great player, we love him, and obviously, to get where we want to go, we need the best Julián Álvarez.

Otherwise, we won't get there. If we don't have the best Julián Álvarez, we won't get there.

Yesterday he had the clearest chances and although the Metropolitano is practically already almost, almost with forgiveness on the table regarding Julián, yesterday Julián Álvarez was the one who let Barça off the hook.

In his wildest dreams, Julián would never have imagined that in just six minutes, he would have the entire Barça half of the pitch ahead of him to put his team ahead.

All that time to think would end up taking its toll.

Joan closes him down, he wants to dribble, but there's no angle for the shot.

A few timid whistles can be heard as Koke asks the crowd to applaud.

Giuliano, too, a few minutes later, put the doubts to rest by setting up Atlético's number twenty.

But as if it were a movie script, Julián would get another one-on-one with Barcelona's goalkeeper.

With the score tied at one, he decides to change his approach and tries a chip.

The outcome was the same again. The whistles, much louder.

And the Metropolitano's forgiveness… But we'll wait for him.

We need Julián Álvarez at his best. Otherwise, we won't make it.

He's still making us wait. He'll have to wait. Atlético's fans still have him parked there.

Well, Julián Álvarez, who played the full 90 minutes, wasn't taken off by Cholo, who surely didn't want to single him out by making the substitution and maybe avoid a few more boos, and all the players greeted him, or almost all the players from Futbol Club Barcelona.

And after Atlético's great first half, Barça had a pretty good second half.

It could all have gone wrong, in the first half, but with the score tied at one at halftime, Frenkie de Jong came on at right back and helped, among other things, ease the pressure on the buildup, helping Pedri in midfield and thus changing the course of the match.

Barça's comeback with two very different sides and a Hansi Flick who got it right yesterday and found the winning formula.

A match with two totally different sides.

First, an unstoppable Atleti that gave Barça no room to breathe, with an enviable build-up from the back, three touches and off they go.

That's how the first goal came.

And as many chances as you could imagine.

We took our opponent somewhere they weren't comfortable during the match.

But… We weren't clinical enough. Then Hansi steps in, after Fermín's goal, and talks to Frenkie de Jong. We, we spoke.

If the team needs me there, I will help.

Hansi makes his move. A player whose job is to avoid losing the ball and extend possession, gradually putting Atleti under pressure.

Just as he makes his second move, clearing the way out from the back and ready to cover behind.

Two moves that culminated in checkmate. Hansi beat Cholo in the battle to be the leader of La Liga.

How important is it to be at the top of the table?

From one to ten? Ten.

From zero to ten, ten. That's how important it was in a match in which there were chances, especially for Atlético, that shot off the post, Marc Pubill's effort off the crossbar.

Then Barça responded with that Pedri shot, also off the crossbar, until Giuliano's goal came, with Julián Álvarez's assist for Giuliano Simeone to score, making it one-nil.

More chances for Atlético Madrid, but finally, what was to come in the closing stages of the first half was Fermín's equalizer.

What a footballer, my God, what a level.

Then Fermín himself in the second half, once again finishing very well from a Lamine Yamal assist and giving Fútbol Club Barcelona the win.

That's how euphoric the one who was the Man of the Match was.

We knew what they were going to bring. A very difficult match.

The goal made us feel more liberated and let us play more our way and win.

And what a connection between Fermín and Lamine Yamal.

Lamine really did try, and try, it just wasn't coming off for him, but— it never did come off, but he did find Fermín with that connection, well, that Fermín-Yamal connection.

He got frustrated, because what usually works for him wasn't working.

They took it off him once, then again, and again.

And on top of that… So Lamine started getting worked up with the referee.

Saying it wasn't a foul, saying you don't call those there.

Also with the linesman. And with his teammates.

They didn't see him, didn't understand him, they even got in his way.

And to top it all off, that fall, which to him, was a clear penalty.

So he blew up. It only clicked when his teammate understood where that pass was going.

Their joined fingers showing a divine connection.

We know each other very well. The pass for the second goal was half the goal.

A connection capable of healing Barça and bringing out the only smile from a very frustrated Lamine.

Lamine, who tried and found that connection with Fermín, won't meet up with him on the Spanish national team, at least for now, because Lamine is out, Rafa Maines, with knee discomfort.

Today's headline name, one of them, Lamine Yamal, who finished yesterday's match against Atlético de Madrid with discomfort in his right knee.

He underwent tests this morning in Barcelona, and will remain in the Catalan capital, but he is expected, in the coming days, to join the squad, as will Mikel Oyarzabal. who is recovering from a bout of flu, and this afternoon, great anticipation.

As you can see, people are lining up, an open training session, people delighted with De la Fuente's Spain.

He'll miss the match against the Czech Republic.

He'll be there against England, and we'll see if Oyarzabal is too.

And meanwhile, watching Atlético one, Barça two on television, Mourinho's Real Madrid, who, with Saturday's win in Valencia, have notched their eighth consecutive victory.

Eight straight matches, after such a difficult start to the season.

Yet there they are, just three behind Barça, who remain top, and Barça, Atlético, are third with twenty-eight.

But without