Barcelona suffered their third consecutive home defeat in the Spanish La Liga. The Catalans squandered a one-goal lead against Atletico Madrid in the derby of the 18th round of the championship and recorded a painful 1:2 defeat after a late goal by reserve Alexander Sorloth in the sixth minute of added time of the match.
Hansi Flick's team played a solid first half and led at the break after Pedri's precise intervention after exactly half an hour of play. The guests from the capital did not have a clear shot in the opening 45 minutes, but that changed after the break and Rodrigo De Paul restored the hopes of Diego Simeone and company with an equalizer in the 60th minute. The match was heading for a draw when substitute Alexander Sorloth scorched Barca in the 96th minute.
Thus, Atleti came out on top in the standings with 41 points, three more than second-placed Barcelona, who also have played a game more. Champion Real Madrid can leapfrod the Catalans today, who lost their previous two home matches in La Liga to Las Palmas and Leganes, with a win over Sevilla - Real have 37 points from 17 matches played. Athletic Bilbao, who are fourth, have 36 points from 19 matches.
In their next matches, Barca visit Barbastro for the King's Cup, while Atletico visit Marbella. After that, Atleti host Osasuna in La Liga, while the Catalans have two more away matches - to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup and to Getafe in La Liga on January 18. | BGNES
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