Tag: Barcelona

Barcelona came from behind to thrash FC Copenhagen 4-1 and qualify directly for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday in fifth place of the league phase.

Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha’s second-half goals helped Hansi Flick’s side take control after teenager Viktor Dadason had sent the Danish visitors into a surprise early lead.

Substitute Marcus Rashford sealed Barca’s victory with a free-kick late on, which slipped past Copenhagen stopper Dominik Kotarski.

Five-time Champions League winners Barca struggled to find their rhythm in the first half but did enough after the break to clinch a top-eight league phase finish at a canter.

“We all came here tonight thinking of finishing in the top eight. We’re very happy with the win,” Yamal told Movistar.

“When they score a goal against you in the Champions League, it’s very hard to come back, but the team was strong and pulled it off.”

Flick said he was not impressed with the way his team started the game.

“I was not happy with the first half, but in the end, I think everyone — the fans, also the team is very happy,” said the German coach.

Barcelona knew they needed to win to be confident of swerving the play-off round, but fell behind as early as the fourth minute.

A slack pass by Jules Kounde was intercepted, and Dadason ran in behind Pau Cubarsi before firing past the exposed goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

Spanish champions Barca should have equalised, but Kotarski saved from Lewandowski and then pushed away an Eric Garcia effort.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Barca defender came close again with a long-range effort which smashed against the crossbar.

Three minutes into the second half, veteran Polish striker Lewandowski made amends for his first-half miss by pulling Barcelona level.

Dani Olmo played an inch-perfect ball down the right for Yamal, who cut the ball across for Lewandowski to finish.

Teenager Yamal put Barca ahead after an hour with a deflected effort from the edge of the box. His strike hit Elias Achouri and looped high into the air before dropping into the net.

Barcelona made the game safe when Lewandowski won a controversial penalty, going down after minimal contact from Junnosuke Suzuki.

Raphinha took the penalty, with his powerful effort beating Kotarski, who dived the right way.

Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, wrapped up Barcelona’s triumph with a free-kick which Kotarki got down to but could not keep out.

It was the England international’s fifth Champions League goal of the season, and a sixth nearly followed as his drive from distance cracked against the crossbar.

“For me, he’s very important; we need everyone,” said Flick. “When he’s there with his speed, his control and his finishing, it’s amazing to have him.”

Copenhagen, who had a late goal from Gabriel Pereira disallowed for offside, finished 31st and were eliminated from the competition.

To cap a good night for Barcelona fans, they celebrated in the stands when they heard rivals Real Madrid conceded a late goal against Benfica and would not finish in the top eight.

READ: Haaland ends barren run as City reach Champions League last 16

Barcelona reclaimed top spot in La Liga with a 3-0 win over Real Oviedo on Sunday, thanks to goals from Dani Olmo, Raphinha and an acrobatic Lamine Yamal effort.

After Real Madrid beat Villarreal on Saturday to take pole position overnight, the Catalans edged a point ahead again.

Although Oviedo are bottom of the table with just two victories all season, Barca had to scrap for their victory as the visitors worked hard defensively to keep Hansi Flick’s team at bay until the second half.

Eventually, the hosts’ quality shone at the partially reopened Camp Nou, and after Olmo opened the scoring, Barcelona never looked back.

The pick of the goals was Yamal’s strike, an impressive volley from Olmo’s cross to secure Barca’s triumph.

“I know we didn’t play on our highest level in the first half… but the team has done a fantastic job in the last few weeks, months,” Flick told DAZN.

The coach praised Yamal for his hard work in terms of pressing and also hailed his fine strike.

“It was great… I’m happy that he scored such a (good) goal, and the third goal for us was really important,” added Flick.

Barcelona struggled to make inroads in a dry first half, and their passing was unusually imprecise.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Injured midfield maestro Pedri Gonzalez watched on from the stands with an unimpressed expression.

Real Oviedo sought to attack on the counter, and Haissem Hassan drew a save from Joan Garcia from a long distance.

At the other end, Aaron Escandell made a fine stop at his near post to thwart Raphinha before half-time.

Barca came out with renewed energy for the second half and soon took the lead.

After Yamal and Raphinha pressed in the box, the ball broke loose to Olmo, who steered home.

Oviedo gave away a poor second goal after 57 minutes, with Raphinha running on to an undercooked back-pass from David Costas and lofting the ball over Escandell.

Barcelona’s third was expertly taken by Yamal, as Olmo’s cross was falling behind him, he produced an eye-catching sideways scissor-kick to wrap up the victory.

A huge downpour hit the stadium, sending fans scurrying as there is no roof yet, and those who remained saw Escandell deny Robert Lewandowski a potential fourth with a fine save.

“I think we were not at our best in the first half, (but) in the second we could score the goals, and that is the most important thing,” said Raphinha.

READ: Australian Open: Anisimova silences Chinese fans to set up Pegula showdown

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed Tuesday reports that veteran goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will join neighbours Girona on loan.

Flick confirms ter Stegen’s loan exit from Barcelona

Germany international Ter Stegen has fallen behind Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny in the pecking order at Barca.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon the 33-year-old stopper needs to play regularly to make his case to start for Germany at the tournament.

“This morning Marc said that he is going to Girona,” Flick told a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Slavia Prague.

“I think Marc is a fantastic goalkeeper. We decided (to go a) different (way) for the future for the club and I think it was the right decision. But I wish him all the best because he is a fantastic goalkeeper.

“Maybe we see him in the German national team in the World Cup. (My) fingers are crossed for this and I think he has good chances.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Ter Stegen, who joined Barca from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, has won six La Liga titles with Barca and the Champions League once, among other silverware.

The goalkeeper missed much of last season with a severe knee injury, leading to Barca bringing Szczesny out of retirement to take his place.

Another injury kept Ter Stegen out of action during much of the current campaign, in which he has made only one appearance.

Ter Stegen did not travel to Prague, where Barca are aiming to secure a top eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League.

They are also without the suspended Lamine Yamal for Wednesday’s match, which will take place in sub-zero conditions.

“The good thing is that (the players) have to run because it’s warmer,” joked Flick.

Barca’s 11-game winning run came to an end with a defeat at Real Sociedad in La Liga on Sunday.

Flick said it could make his team improve, particularly in their finishing.

“We played on the highest level and this is what I want to see, it was better to lose (like) this instead of showing a bad performance,” added Flick.

“I think this could give us a little bit more confidence to believe in what we are doing… but I think we have to be more (accurate) in front of goal, this is what I want to see from the team.”

READ: Salah back in Liverpool squad after AFCON

Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defence ambitions as Goncalo Guedes gave them a surprise 2-1 La Liga victory on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches.

The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.

Hosts Real Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on to triumph and climb up to eighth.

“I think we deserved to win today, we had a lot of chances, but in the end you have to put them away,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN. “We played well, but we didn’t win… their goalkeeper had a very good game.”

Real Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro made several crucial saves.

“Three great points and a great game,” said Remiro. “We’ve started this year in great form… this is the energy we have, how we’ve changed (recently).”

In a frantic start to a compelling game at the rainy Reale Arena, both teams had goals ruled out.

La Real had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds when Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Guedes’s cross, but had strayed offside.

At the other end, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez drilled home from range, but Dani Olmo had committed a foul in the build-up, and it was ruled out.

With teenage winger Lamine Yamal keen to take on defenders, Barca got in often down the right flank. The 18-year-old teed up Olmo, who fired high over the bar when he might have sent the Catalans ahead.

Yamal found the net himself, but the goal was ruled out for an extremely tight offside, before Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Oyarzabal lashed home Guedes’s cross with a blistering volley inside Joan Garcia’s near post.

Yamal was felled just inside the area before half-time, but although the referee pointed to the spot, a VAR review showed that the youngster was offside again, and it was cancelled out.

Barcelona turned up the pressure in the second half, and Real Sociedad were left depending on Remiro and the frame of the goal to keep the Catalans at bay.

Olmo crashed a shot against the post from Lopez’s cross, and then Remiro denied the Barca midfielder with a fine near-post save.

Remiro then tipped substitute Robert Lewandowski’s header against the crossbar with the save of the night.

Another Barca substitute, Marcus Rashford, eventually pulled the champions level, heading Yamal’s cross home after 70 minutes.

However, the hosts immediately regained their advantage after Barca goalkeeper Garcia initially saved Carlos Soler’s shot. The midfielder was able to gather the rebound and cross for Guedes, who fired La Real ahead again.

They should have got a third when Garcia, out of his goal, had no chance of saving Oyarzabal’s effort, but Pau Cubarsi headed the ball off the line.

Barcelona came within centimetres of an equaliser when Joao Cancelo, on his second debut for the club, crossed for Jules Kounde, who headed against the crossbar.

Soler was dismissed for an ugly foul on Pedri before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.

Rashford hit the post directly from a corner kick as Barca pushed until the end but could not find a way through.

READ: Senegal stun hosts Morocco to win AFCON title

Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal fired Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Racing Santander and into the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Thursday.

The Spanish internationals’ strikes helped holders Barca defeat second division leaders Racing to progress from a surprisingly tight last 16 clash and record an 11th consecutive victory across all competitions.

The hosts had two goals disallowed for offside, and record 32-time winners Barca did just enough to claim victory.

“We didn’t think they would be so hard to break down,” admitted Torres to Movistar. “We knew that we had to stretch the game, be calm, and in the end it went well.”

Having seen Real Madrid eliminated at second-tier Albacete on Wednesday, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick named a fairly strong side, including teenage star Yamal.

After a 15-minute delay with some fans stuck outside, the match kicked off at Racing’s Sardinero stadium, and Barca quickly took control of the ball.

The Catalans struggled to turn possession into a meaningful opening, though, and when they finally did, Dani Olmo missed his kick from Marcus Rashford’s dangerous cross.

Racing looked to breach Barcelona’s high defensive line, but when they did get in behind, the visitors managed to mop up well.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Giorgi Guliashvili’s low effort from range was fielded comfortably by Joan Garcia, and that was as close as the hosts came.

Barcelona continued to push forward in the second half, and Rashford had a shot tipped away and also drilled narrowly wide.

Eventually, the Spanish champions took the lead through Torres, after Fermin Lopez sent him through on goal. The Spain international rounded Racing goalkeeper Jokin Ezkieta and rolled home.

The hosts were forced on the offensive and twice had the ball in Barcelona’s net, but both of Manex Lozano’s goals were ruled out for offside.

Barcelona goalkeeper Garcia made a superb save to thwart Lozano one-on-one deep in stoppage time and avoid the game going to extra time.

The Catalans wrapped up their win with the last kick of the match, Yamal tapping in Raphinha’s cross at the back post.

“We played the game we had to play, we played a 10 out of 10 match, (with) two offside goals and the chance at the end… it’s okay, it’s football,” said Racing defender Alvaro Mantilla.

Elsewhere, Valencia won 2-0 at Burgos to reach the last eight.

READ: BPL 2026 set to resume as cricketers call off nationwide boycott

JEDDAH: Barcelona retained the Spanish Super Cup with an entertaining 3-2 Clasico win over Real Madrid in the final here on Sunday.

Raphinha struck twice for the Catalans with Robert Lewandowski also on target as they beat Xabi Alonso’s team for a record-extending 16th triumph, despite Frenkie de Jong’s late red card for a foul on Kylian Mbappe.

The French forward could only feature in the final stages as a substitute after a knee sprain, with the defeat likely to bring back recent doubts around Madrid coach Xabi Alonso’s future.

After Raphinha sent Barcelona ahead, Vinicius Junior pulled Madrid level with a fine individual goal to kick-start a frenetic end to the first half in Jeddah.

Lewandowski chipped Barca back in front, but Gonzalo Garcia struck deep in stoppage time to send the teams in level at the break.

The battle was decided by a deflected Raphinha effort after 73 minutes, as Barca claimed the fourth trophy of coach Hansi Flick’s reign.

Alonso is still looking for his first after arriving in June, and Madrid’s run of five consecutive wins across all competitions was brought to an end by their arch-rivals.

“Whatever way you lose it hurts, but it’s clear that this was a very even game, hotly competed, with a bit of everything,” Alonso told Movistar.

“We were very close to equalising, we fought it out until the end, and I have to congratulate Barca.”

Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 5-2 in last season’s final, also at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, but this was a far closer affair.

Flick, who led Barca to four Clasico wins over Madrid last season in four clashes, opted for Lewandowski up front over Ferran Torres and brought teenage star Lamine Yamal back in on the right wing.

It was a scrappy start in the Saudi evening heat, with Barcelona keeping the ball and Madrid sitting deep to resist them, while looking to find Vinicius Junior on the counter.

The Brazilian had not scored in his previous 16 matches but offered a potent threat, flying down the left and forcing Joan Garcia into the first save.

Barcelona began to turn up the heat, and Raphinha found a breakthrough after 36 minutes.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Moments after the winger fired a fine chance badly wide, he made up for it with a low, early strike from just inside the area, across Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.

Real Madrid pulled level with a superb Vinicius strike, floating in from the left, nutmegging Jules Kounde and slotting home.

Barcelona went back ahead four minutes into first-half stoppage time, with Lewandowski dinking past Courtois after being played in by Pedri.

However, Madrid rapidly hit back just before the interval through Gonzalo Garcia, who finished well while falling after Dean Huijsen’s header bounced back to him off the crossbar.

The second half was a calmer affair, with fewer chances as the teams slowed down.

Mbappe was warming up on the sideline when Barcelona nosed ahead, with Raphinha’s shot from outside the box deflecting in off Raul Asencio to leave Courtois with no chance.

The Brazilian is in superb form and it was his seventh goal in his last five matches across all competitions.

Alonso sent on Mbappe for the last 15 minutes, trying to find a third goal and force a penalty shoot-out.

The French forward could not get a sight of goal but Barca midfielder De Jong was sent off for a high lunge on him.

Despite Madrid’s numerical advantage Barca had the best chance in stoppage time with Marcus Rashford firing wide when through on goal.

Asencio might have grabbed an equaliser at the death but headed straight at Garcia.

The last four winners of the Spanish Super Cup have gone on to claim La Liga and Barcelona will be hoping it proves a platform for success once again.

They have won 10 straight games across all competitions and lead La Liga, despite an inconsistent start to the season.

READ: Agha wants better death-overs execution after Sri Lanka defeat

Raphinha netted twice as Barcelona strolled into the Spanish Super Cup final with a dominant 5-0 semi-final win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.

The holders and record 15-time champions will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, who meet Thursday, in Sunday’s final.

Hansi Flick began with teenage star Lamine Yamal on the bench, but his team was still able to ease to a comfortable victory at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah.

The La Liga leaders have now won nine matches in a row across all competitions, and Athletic, enduring a difficult season, were ripped to shreds.

Last season, Barcelona went on to win La Liga and the Copa del Rey after Flick’s side won the Spanish Super Cup for the first trophy of the German’s reign, and the coach had said he wanted to use the competition as a springboard for more success again.

“It’s us who make games easy or hard — when we’re playing well, doing things right, defending well, attacking well, the game is easier,” Raphinha told Movistar.

The forward has been in fine form since returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out for around two months.

“I am always looking to be at my best level, and I will never say I’m at my best,” continued Raphinha.

“I will keep looking, keep trying to have a season that, if not perfect, is almost perfect, always looking for the best for the team.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Ferran Torres bundled home the opener after 22 minutes with a stroke of fortune after Fermin Lopez’s bungled shot fell kindly for him.

Barca sliced Athletic open with a more attractive second goal, with Raphinha cutting the ball back for Lopez to blast into the top corner, for the first of three goals in eight minutes.

Swedish winger Roony Bardghji got the third after being given a helping hand by Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon, who somehow mishandled the low shot under his own body and into the net.

It offered Spain coach Luis de la Fuente food for thought, given Simon is his number one and Barca stopper Joan Garcia is knocking at the door ahead of the World Cup, although the Euro 2024 winning manager was absent with the flu.

Raphinha lashed into the top left corner for Barcelona’s fourth after 38 minutes as the Catalans attacked relentlessly.

Oihan Sancet struck the post at the other end with Athletic’s best chance on a miserable night for the Basque side, who last won the competition in 2021.

Brazil international Raphinha grabbed his second soon after the break with a lethal finish from close range to seal Barca’s win.

“We have to say sorry to the fans who came here, we were not up to the level today, there’s nothing else we can do than say sorry,” said Athletic captain Inaki Williams.

READ: Australia win final Test to seal 4-1 Ashes triumph over England

Jules Kounde bagged two headers to help Barcelona beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on Tuesday in the Champions League and bolster the club’s chances of a top-eight league phase finish.

Ansgar Knauff sent the visitors into a surprise lead, but French defender Kounde’s brace early in the second half put last season’s semi-finalists in control.

In the club’s first Champions League match back at Camp Nou since 2022, they gained revenge against a Frankfurt side who humiliated them in the Europa League in that same year.

The Bundesliga team packed the Camp Nou with their own fans and knocked Barca out of that competition at one of their lowest ebbs under Xavi Hernandez.

With a domestic treble and a run to the final four of the Champions League, Xavi’s successor, Hansi Flick, has changed the mood around Barca, but this season the team have struggled at times.

Defeats by Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain left Barca in a difficult position in Europe, but by beating Frankfurt, they are still hopeful of avoiding the play-off round.

“I wasn’t surprised (it was hard), the Champions League is different… I am very proud,” Flick told reporters.

The coach said making the comeback “shows a lot about our attitude”, but accepted it would be “a better situation” to take the lead in games.

Barcelona made tickets harder for Frankfurt fans to obtain this time around by delaying their sale, and beyond a small number of visiting supporters who appeared to be ejected from home areas, there was little trouble.

Barcelona controlled the opening period, pinning the visitors, who lost 6-0 against RB Leipzig on Saturday in the Bundesliga, back in their own territory.

Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski put the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.

Despite their dominant start, the Catalans fell behind after 21 minutes, caught out by a rapid Frankfurt counter-attack.

Lamine Yamal dribbled into trouble, and Nathaniel Brown surged forward from the back before dropping a ball in behind Barca’s high defensive line for Knauff to charge on to.

Gerard Martin tried and failed to intercept it with a flick of the leg, and the German striker held off Alejandro Balde before finishing neatly.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Frankfurt defenders scrambled to block a Fermin Lopez effort, as Barca struggled to create clear openings.

Teenage star Yamal could not find a way past Brown in one of his more erratic outings for Barca.

Ellyes Skhiri slammed a shot just over the bar as Frankfurt missed a good chance to extend their lead before half-time, and it came to cost them.

Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the second half and were helped by the introduction of on-loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford.

The England international teed up Raphinha, who blazed over, before whipping in a cross for Kounde to head home in the 50th minute.

“It was important Marcus was on the pitch, he gave us the width,” explained Flick.

Kounde, who has particularly struggled this season, was Barcelona’s hero against Frankfurt as he grabbed his second of the night three minutes later.

Yamal slung in a high, looping cross, which Kounde nodded back across the goal, and it dropped in at the far post.

“Kounde is a guy who works a lot; he deserves these goals,” said Pedri.

“I think he wasn’t trying to score with the second goal, but I’ll ask him.”

Kounde admitted he was a bit surprised when the ball made it into the net.

“I tried to put it back into that zone (at the far post),” he said. “So I was surprised, sometimes you need to have a bit of luck.”

Unable to procure a third goal to kill off the game, Barcelona had to sweat through the final stages, but Frankfurt did not come close to finding an equaliser.

The win left Barcelona 14th in the table, two points behind Liverpool in eighth, while Frankfurt are down in 30th.

READ: Pat Cummins back in Australia squad for third Ashes Test

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick claimed Monday his team’s defending is now on “another level” after a run of good results.

The Catalans have won three matches in a row after a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Champions League near the end of November.

Barca face Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday in Europe as they fight for a top-eight finish in the league phase.

With several players back from injury last week, Barca beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 and Real Betis 5-3.

“Everyone knows what happened in the last three months, a lot of injuries, very important players out, the last weeks we have to manage the minutes, the load of every player,” Flick told a news conference.

The coach said although his team shipped three against Betis, the use of his high defensive line system was good and the players were tired in the final stages, when two of those goals were scored.

“The last 10 minutes, they were exhausted,” reasoned Flick, whose side also let in three at Club Brugge in a 3-3 draw earlier in November.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“I said this morning to them, the (back) line is doing really good, we’re getting pressure on the ball, we are connected. This is what we need.

“And the (high) line, they play it on another level than maybe one month, five weeks ago.”

The win over Betis left Barca four points clear at the top of La Liga, with attention turning to the clash against Frankfurt.

In 2022, Barcelona suffered a humiliating Europa League elimination at the hands of the German side, whose fans filled the stands at Camp Nou.

Barcelona restricted access to tickets as a result this year, anxious to avoid similar scenes at their reopened stadium.

That defeat was arguably the club’s lowest ebb, but in the years since, they have risen sharply, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

The Frankfurt match will be the club’s first game in the competition at Camp Nou since October 2022.

“For everyone it was a dream to come back and play in Camp Nou,” said Flick.

“It’s also important for the Champions League. It’s a really important match for us tomorrow.

“We have to win, we want to win three points. We want to show our best level.”

The coach said goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen may return to the squad after injury, but made clear Joan Garcia “is number one”.

READ: India receive major boost ahead of South Africa T20Is

Barcelona produced an impressive comeback to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday and move four points clear at the top of La Liga.

Alex Baena fired Atletico ahead, but Raphinha equalised for the champions before Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres slotted home to end the visitors’ run of 13 straight league games without defeat.

Barca might have been more comfortable had Robert Lewandowski not ballooned a first-half penalty over the bar at the partially rebuilt Camp Nou.

Real Madrid, second, visit Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, aiming to peg Barcelona back, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico are fourth, six points behind the Catalans.

This was Barca’s fifth consecutive Liga win after losing the Clasico against Madrid in October, but they have not shone consistently in that period, and coming against a title rival, this display gave Flick’s side a welcome boost.

Barcelona were without defender Ronald Araujo, who is taking a mental health break according to Spanish reports, along with ill midfielder Frenkie de Jong and the longer-term absentees.

After a 3-0 thrashing at Chelsea last week in the Champions League, followed by a shaky win over Alaves to claim pole position in La Liga, nerves were jangling at Camp Nou.

Following a tense start, Atletico took the lead with, predictably, a ball in behind Barcelona’s persistently high defensive line.

Baena scampered through on goal and beat Joan Garcia, barely celebrating because he could sense the linesman’s raised flag behind him.

However, a VAR review showed the Spaniard was level with Pau Cubarsi when he broke, and the goal was reinstated.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Barcelona responded rapidly and levelled in the 26th minute when Pedri, back fit to start, played in Raphinha.

The Brazilian winger, another player recently back from injury, took the ball around Jan Oblak and slid it into the empty net.

Barcelona should have taken the lead, but Lewandowski spurned a penalty, blazing high and wide of Oblak’s goal after Pablo Barrios brought down Dani Olmo.

The Polish veteran almost made amends moments later, but Oblak brilliantly clawed out his header from Lamine Yamal’s cross.

Raphinha pulled an effort wide early in the second half when he should have hit the target, and Giuliano Simeone could not get a clean shot away with the goal beckoning at the other end.

Olmo, who netted twice against Alaves on Saturday, sent Barcelona ahead with a slick finish after Lewandowski managed to bundle the ball into his path.

Olmo, a playmaker who has struggled for consistency at Barca amid various physical problems, sustained a shoulder injury falling as he shot and was replaced by Marcus Rashford.

Pedri, who was controlling the game for Barca, also went down hurt after 70 minutes, and Flick replaced him, with fans left hoping it was only a scare ahead of next week’s important Champions League match against Frankfurt.

Atletico substitute Thiago Almada had his team’s best chance of equalising, but after bursting across the penalty area, he lost balance and screwed his finish wide as Joan Garcia scrambled.

READ: Manchester City’s Haaland makes ‘huge’ Premier League history