There’s a new leader in La Liga. Alexander Sorloth sent Atletico Madrid top of La Liga with a 96th-minute goal in a 2-1 victory over Barcelona. Hansi Flick’s Blaugrana have been leading La Liga almost from the first kick of the season, but Atleti have been charging up the table behind a 12-match winning streak in all competitions.
Barcelona has been riding their offside trap to protect the defense for most of the season protecting Inaki Pena in net, but in the second half, everything fell apart. Pedri scored in the first half putting Barca ahead at the break. At the time, Diego Simeone’s men didn’t have a shot on target but that would quickly change.
Rodrigo De Paul took advantage of a defensive mistake to bring the match level, and it seemed like the points would be shared. Sorloth entered in the 73rd minute and only took one shot but it was the one that mattered. After repelling a Barcelona attack Atleti went on the counter and Nahuel Molina’s cross found Sorloth and he wouldn’t miss.
The goal was a critical one blowing La Liga open as Atletico Madrid goes top of the league by three points, while also having a game in hand. After a big summer adding Soloroth, Conor Gallagher, and Julian Alvarez, this Atletico Madrid team has reinvented themselves from being a defense first team into one of the best attacks in the world. With 33 goals scored and only 12 allowed in La Liga, not only does it put Atleti top but it also opens the door for their crosstown rivals, Real Madrid.
It has taken time for Kylian Mbappe to set in with Los Blancos, but now they’re four points off the lead with a game in hand as the league enters the winter break following this weekend. It’s now a time for the teams to take a rest but tonight is for celebrating for Simeone and company as they’ll enter Christmas top of the league.
Failing to win silverware since triumphing in La Liga in the 2020-21 season and not even being competitive at the top for the last three seasons as Barcelona and Real Madrid, there were wonders if Simeone’s magic had run out in Madrid. Faced with an aging squad and no creative fulcrum outside of Antoine Griezmann, it wouldn’t have been out of the question for Atleti to move on and rebuild.
Instead, with heavy investment to compete now and prepare for the future with signings like Alvarez, La Liga has become a true race at the top. Competition for places is so high that even club legends like Griezmann and Koke aren’t guaranteed minutes. It has resulted in scoring multiple goals in seven of their last eight matches and ensuring that this winning streak continues. Even players like Angel Correa have been important coming off the bench with the Argentine forward scoring five goals in all competitions.
There’s a long way to go to truly proclaim that Atleti are back but for the first time in years, they’re competing with the best, like the days of old. Considering their depth, there’s no reason to believe that they won’t continue the charge as well. It’s not only taking place in La Liga where they now sit atop the table but in the Champions League as well where a flurry of goals have seen Atleti now have a chance at a top-eight finish in the league phase of the tournament. Securing that and ensuring that they get additional rest is just what they’ll need to maintain this charge in all competitions and the dynamic attack has shown it can keep things rolling.
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