Barcelona v Atlético Madrid Live Commentary & Result, 23/04/2023, Primera División

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	BAR Barcelona	38	28	4	6	70	20	+50	88	L W L L W
2	RMA Real Madrid	38	24	6	8	75	36	+39	78	D W W L W
3	ATM Atlético Madrid	38	23	8	7	70	33	+37	77	D W D W L
4	RSO Real Sociedad	38	21	8	9	51	35	+16	71	W L W W D
5	VIL Villarreal	38	19	7	12	59	40	+19	64	D L W W W
6	BET Real Betis	38	17	9	12	46	41	+5	60	D W L D W
7	OSA Osasuna	38	15	8	15	37	42	-5	53	W L W L W
8	ATH Athletic Club	38	14	9	15	47	43	+4	51	D L L W L
9	MLL Mallorca	38	14	8	16	37	43	-6	50	W L W L W
10	GIR Girona	38	13	10	15	58	55	+3	49	L L D L D
11	RAY Rayo Vallecano	38	13	10	15	45	53	-8	49	L W L L L
12	SEV Sevilla	38	13	10	15	47	54	-7	49	L L D D W
13	CEL Celta de Vigo	38	11	10	17	43	53	-10	43	W L D L L
14	CAD Cádiz	38	10	12	16	30	53	-23	42	D W L W L
15	GET Getafe	38	10	12	16	34	45	-11	42	D W W D L
16	VAL Valencia	38	11	9	18	42	45	-3	42	D D L W W
17	ALM Almería	38	11	8	19	49	65	-16	41	D D L W L
18	VLD Real Valladolid	38	11	7	20	33	63	-30	40	D D W L L
19	ESP Espanyol	38	8	13	17	52	69	-17	37	D D D W L
20	ELC Elche	38	5	10	23	30	67	-37	25	D W D D W

That's all for today, goodbye.

Barcelona are now 11 points clear at the top of the table with just eight games remaining. Next up, they travel Rayo Vallecano. As for Atletico, both of their league defeats this year have come against Barcelona. Six points ahead of fourth-place Real Sociedad, they will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Mallorca.

Barcelona take another step close to the LaLiga title after a narrow victory over Atletico Madrid. The away side went close to scoring through Griezmann, with the Frenchman curling an effort against the bar inside the opening minute before having a shot saved by Ter Stegen. However, it was Barcelona that broke the deadlock just before the break. Raphinha played a pass from the right into the feet of Torres, with the former Manchester City man ignoring Lewandowski before curling his effort into the bottom corner. The hosts dominated and should have scored another in the second half. Lewandowski's powerful cross found Raphinha inside the box, but he could not sort his feet out, with the ball hitting his leg and going straight at Oblak. The Poland international then had a chance to score when one-on-one with the goalkeeper but curled his strike wide. Raphinha was open on his right and couldn't believe that he did not receive the ball.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 1-0 ATLETICO MADRID

Saúl

Yellow Card

90' + 3' Saul now goes into the book after stepping on the foot of Pedri. The ball had already gone and it was a late tackle.

90' + 3' De Paul looks to curl a disguised pass into the feet of Griezmann inside the box. The striker had lost his marker, but the ball has too much pace on it, racing away for a goal-kick.

I. Grbić

Yellow Card

90' + 1' Grbic is not even on the pitch but is still shown a yellow card for dissent. He is the eighth Atletico player to be shown a yellow card.

Ansu Fati

Raphinha

90' + 1' Raphinha has an assist to his name, but should also have a goal after failing to convert a chance from close range. He is replaced by Fati for the final few minutes.

Gavi

Yellow Card

90' Gavi is shown a yellow card after jumping into Morata around the halfway line. He was desperate to win the ball as he would have been away on the counter. Atletico had committed men forward for a free-kick.

88' Reguilon has been heavily involved since coming on as a substitute. He finds Morata with a cross, but the striker misses the target with his header from close range.

Álvaro Morata

Yellow Card

86' Griezmann switches the ball out to the left with Reguilon getting forward. The left-back then plays a short pass forward to Carrasco, who moves into the box before having a shot blocked by Araujo. The ball goes up into the air with Mortata giving away a free-kick for a high boot on Garcia. He is also shown a yellow card.

Reguilón

Yellow Card

83' Reguilon looks to force Raphinha back but goes straight into the winger and gives away a free-kick. He is also shown a yellow card.

Pablo Barrios

Yellow Card

83' Barrios goes into the book after pulling back Balde. The Barcelona left-back was making a run off the ball.

82' Atletico commit men forward with Barrios making the most of a loose pass out of the Barcelona defence. He looks to switch the ball out to Reguilon, but sends it straight out for a throw-in.

J. Giménez

Yellow Card

81' Both of Atletico's centre-backs have now been shown yellow cards. Gimenez crashes into the back of Pedri's leg and goes into the book.

S. Savić

Yellow Card

79' This game has been full of yellow cards. This time Savic is punished for a foul on Lewandowski.

Reguilón

Hermoso

78' Simeone has decided to add an extra element of pace to his flanks. Reguilon replaces Hermoso at left-back.

F. Kessié

F. de Jong

78' De Jong has been all over the pitch and is now being given a deserved rest. Kessie is on in his place.

Raphinha

Yellow Card

77' Raphinha is shown a yellow card after a late slide tackle on Carrasco.

76' WIDE! Lewandowski has to score. Garica sends a pass out of the defence straight to Lewandowski who is one-on-one with Oblak. The goalkeeper rushes off his line, with the the Poland international curling his attempt wide of the goal. Raphinha was to his right and would have had an open goal.

A. Griezmann

Yellow Card

75' Griezmann goes into the book after fouling Garcia.

73' Atletico have a chance to score with Morata coming inside next to the byline before cutting the ball across the box to Griezmann. He rushes ahead of the ball but is able to flick a shot towards the goal that is saved.

72' MISS! What a chance for Barcelona to double their advantage. De Jong chips the ball down the left side of the box with Lewandowski getting to the byline before powering a cross from left to right. Raphinha is open in front of the goal, but the ball hits the winger with Oblak able to claim it.

70' Griezmann slides a pass into the feet of Morata who moves down the left side of the box. He looks to get a shot away, but Araujo is there to block his low strike.

69' Mortata gets down the right side of the Barcelona half and sends a throughball towards Molina. Rushing towards the box, De Jong gets back to close down the space ahead of him, with the midfielder then blocking his effort after slowing him down.

Saúl

T. Lemar

66' Atletico make their third change of the game. Lemar is replaced by Saul.

66' Molina curls a cross from the right into the heart of the Barcelona box with Morata getting between the two centre-backs. However, he tries to attack the ball with his right foot and gets it all wrong.

64' Raphinha does well down the right, slowing down his run before pushing the ball past Carrasco who was not expecting his quick burst. He sends a cross towards Pedri, but it is too high for the substitute who flicks his effort wide. If the ball was on the floor he would have had an easier chance to score.

62' Gavi gets down the right side of the Atletico box after the away side lose possession. He shoots low across the goal, but his effort goes just wide.

Pedri

Ferran Torres

61' Torres broke the deadlock earlier in the game but is now coming off. Pedri takes his place on the wing.

Eric García

Marcos Alonso

61' Xavi makes a straight swap at centre-back. Alonso comes off with Garcia now on.

Álvaro Morata

A. Witsel

59' Morata has scored 10 goals this season and is now coming on to try and find a goal for Atletico. He replaces Witsel.

Pablo Barrios

Á. Correa

59' Atletico make their first change of the game. Correa has been quiet compared to his strike partner Griezmann and is replaced by Barrios.

58' Lemar gets the ball on the left side of the Barcelona box, but slips when looking to turn past Raphinha. Carrasco collects it, dribbling into the middle of the box before shooting wide.

Sergio Busquets

Yellow Card

57' Busquets is the second Barcelona player to be shown a yellow card after dragging Lemar who was trying to break away with the ball.

56' Raphinha shifts the ball onto his left foot and takes a shot from the edge of the box, but he drags his attempt well wide of the goal.

55' Carrasco looks to put a cross into the box from the left, but it turns into a shot with the ball travelling towards the Barcelona goal. Ter Stegen runs back towards his line and flicks the ball away.

53' Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 31 LaLiga matches when leading at half-time (winning 28, drawing three) dating back to 29th April 2021 against Granada (L1-2).

51' MISS! Lewandowski messes up his shot from the middle of the box. Balde drives a pass into the path of the striker, but the former Bayern Munich man rushes his strike, with the ball coming off his boot and shooting up into the air. Gavi collects it, but came from an offside position. The flag then goes up.

50' Carrasco collects the ball on the left flank and bursts inside past Koundé who cannot stop his run. The Belgium international gets a shot away, but is slightly off balance and misses the target by a distance.

48' Torres curls the ball out to the right flank towards Raphinha who drives inside. The winger then plays a pass back inside to Torres, with the scorer rushing onto his pass before curling a low effort towards the bottom corner from the edge of the box. However, Oblak gets down to beat his strike away.

46' Barcelona get the ball rolling again.

Barcelona had most of the ball in the opening 45 minutes but struggled to test Oblak in the Atletico net. Raphinha and Torres were not given a lot of space to operate with the away side sitting in a low block, with their goal coming from a quick break forward. Traditionally a possession-heavy side, their best opportunities came in transition when Atletico had committed bodies forward. Chasing a goal, Simeone's men will have to attack more to get back into the game, allowing Barcelona's wide players to get into more duels down the flanks.

Torres struck just before the break to give Barcelona the lead. Raphinha burst down the right flank to get onto a long pass, playing the ball across to Torres. The former Manchester City man had an option to his left but slotted his strike into the bottom corner. The away side were quiet for most of the first half but had their best chance inside the opening minute. Busquets lost possession with Lemar sliding a pass into the feet of Griezmann, but his curling effort came off the bar. Correa struck an effort straight at Ter Stegen, with the goalkeeper also getting down low to push away an effort from Griezmann. For Barcelona, their only shot on target was their goal, with De Jong, Balde and Lewandowski all failing to test Oblak.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 1-0 ATLETICO MADRID

Raphinha

Assist

45' Raphinha has struggled to make an impact in the game beacuse of Atletico's low block, but he gets an assist to his name just before the break. He passes the ball into the path of Toress, who ignores an option to pass to his left and slides his shot into the corner of the goal.

Ferran Torres

Goal

44' GOALLLL! TORRES SCORES! 1-0 BARCELONA! The home side have the lead just before the break. Raphinha bursts down the right flank to get onto a long pass forward, holding onto the ball under pressure from Hermoso. He plays a pass into the middle of the pitch with Torres getting forward, passing his effort into the bottom corner past Oblak.

43' Every Atletico player is inside their own half in the closing stages of the first 45 minutes. Griezmann was pressing agressivly at the start of the game, but it looks like Simeone's side are happy to hold what they have until the break.

41' Busquets plays a smart pass into the feet of Lewandowski just outside the box. He turns on the ball looking to create space to get a shot away, but Witsel is there and foces him away before making a tackle.

39' Barcelona have drawn 0-0 in their last two LaLiga games – they haven't picked up three straight draws in the competition since December 2016 (drawing three) and haven't had three goalless draws in a row in the top-flight since April 1989 (three).

37' Barcelona are starting to take control of the game. Balde and Kounde are trying to help the attack by creating overloads on each side, but Atletico are doing well to stop them from effecting the game.

35' De Jong fails to clear away the ball inside Barcelona's box with Griezmann making the most of his mistake, swivelling on it before shooting low towards the bottom corner. Ter Stegen matches his effort, getting down to push his strike away.

33' De Paul looks to send a throughball to Griezmann who rushes beyond the Barcelona defence, but Alonso slides in to intercept.

32' De Jong slides in to win the ball off Savic inside Atletico's box. Still on the floor, he looks to shoot but sends his effort over the bar.

30' Barcelona have had 73.1 per cent possession over the last 15 minutes.

29' Griezmann tries to curl the free-kick into the box, but the ball hits Raphinha. The 26-year-old was the only man in the wall. He looks to start a counter, but his pass towards Torres is intercepted.

Marcos Alonso

Yellow Card

28' Alonso receives the first yellow card of the game. The defender sends a pass down the left flank that is intercepted by Molina. The Argentine pushes the ball past him before being taken down with a late slide tackle.

26' Atletico have won their last six LaLiga games, the joint-best current run by a team in Europe's top five leagues along with Manchester City in the Premier League.

24' Brilliant from Oblak. Torres rushes down the left side of the box with Raphinha completely free to his right. The Spain international looks to find the winger, but Oblak reads his pass and gets across to intercept.

22' Araujo was the calmest man in the stadium for a few moments. Griezmann looks to close down the Barcelona centre-back, with Araujo keeping the ball close to his feet and turning past the striker before sending a pass back to the goalkeeper. If he lost possession, Atletico would have had a clear chance to score.

20' Correa unleashes an effort from the left side of the box, but it goes straight at Ter Stegen who makes a simple save.

17' Lewandowski does brilliantly to turn past De Paul and get into the box with his shot blocked. It rolls to Torres, but Lemar and Griezmann come across to shuffle the ball off the pitch.

16' Barcelona are known for their ability to keep the ball with crisp passes, but they have been a little bit loose today. Araujo tries to curl a pass out to the left flank with Balde waiting, but it does not go straight to the full-back who has to rush back to keep the ball on the pitch. Ter Stegen then searches for him with a long pass, but the Atletico defence regain possession.

14' Torres tries to flick the ball over the head of De Paul in the Atletico box, but is punished for a high boot.

12' Griezmann drives down the right and sends a pass into the feet of Correa before rushing into the box and away from his marker. The Argentine finds him on the byline with Griezmann pulling the ball across the area, but Araujo is there to hook it away.

10' Barcelona have not had a shot in the game so far. They have failed to score in any of their last three games in all competitions (44 shots in total). Only on three previous occasions have they failed to score in four successive games, most recently in April 2008 under Frank Rijkaard.

8' Alonso curls a free-kick into the box from the right, but Witsel is there to head the ball away.

7' Raphinha drives at Molina but is forced to go back with Lemar making a covering run. The Frenchman does well, but then trips the former Leeds United man and gives away a free-kick in a crossing position.

5' Barcelona are struggling to break Atletico's stubborn defensive shape. The away side have a winger and a full-back on each side, making it difficult for Raphinha and Torres to get down the flanks.

3' Atletico have been the better side in the opening few minutes and are looking to be direct with their passes into Barcelona's half. The home side are getting to the ball first, but it is Atletico who are winning the battle on the ground.

1' BAR! What a chance for Atletico in the opening minute. Busquets gives away the ball inside his own half with Lemar sliding a pass into the feet of Griezmann just outside the box. He curls a shot towards the goal with it going over Ter Stegen before crashing against the bar.

1' Atletico get this LaLiga clash under way. Griezmann with the first kick.

Barcelona have won their last two LaLiga games against Atletico, having failed to win in their previous four against them (drawing two, losing two) - after winning 1-0 in the reverse fixture this season the Blaugranas can win both meetings in the same campaign in the competition against Los Rojiblancos for the first time since 2015/16 (2-1 away and 2-1 at home).

As for Atletico, they make two alterations to the side that beat Almeria. Simeone has decided to switch from five defenders to four, pushing Witsel into the midfield and moving Hermoso from centre-back to left-back. This has allowed Carrasco to move further up the pitch and onto the wing. The away side played with three central midfielders in their last game, but have decided to add width with the addition of Lemar in the starting side, taking the place of Koke who drops onto the bench. Marcos Llorente is suspended and is replaced by Savic who plays alongside Gimenez in the middle of the defence.

Barcelona make three changes to the team that drew with Getafe in their last outing. Sergi Roberto is out through injury and is replaced in the defence by Alonso. The former Chelsea man starts at centre-back, with Kounde going out to right-back and Balde moving from the wing to left-back. Torres comes into the side and fills his space in the attack. The final change is in the midfield, with De Jong preferred ahead of Kessie.

ATLETICO MADRID SUBS: Ivo Grbic, Sergio Reguilon, Koke, Matt Doherty, Saul Niguez, Alvaro Morata, Pablo Barrios, Marco Moreno.

ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Nahuel Molina, Jose Gimenez, Stefan Savic, Mario Hermoso; Yannick Carrasco, Rodrigo De Paul, Axel Witsel, Thomas Lemar; Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa.

BARCELONA SUBS: Inaki Pena, Arnau Tenas, Pedri, Ansu Fati, Jordi Alba, Franck Kessie, Eric García, Pablo Torre, Angel Alarcon, Lamine Yamal.

BARCELONA (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Marcos Alonso, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres.

Atletico started the year with a narrow loss to Barcelona at Wanda Metropolitano, leaving them in fifth position. Since that defeat, Diego Simeone's side have surged up the league and into third place after collecting 11 wins in 13 matches, drawing the other two. Their results have put them comfortably inside the Champions League qualifications spots, 12 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis. Atletico have been good on the road this season, picking up 30 points from 14 matches.

Barcelona are without a win in their last two games after back-to-back goalless draws against Girona and Getafe. However, the league leaders are still in a strong position at the top of the table and are eight points ahead of second-place Real Madrid. They will be confident of getting back to winning ways due to their recent form against Atletico at Camp Nou. Barcelona have not lost any of their last 16 home games against Los Rojiblancos in the competition (winning 11, drawing five), their second-longest unbeaten run at home to them (20 in October 1963, winning 15, drawing five). Xavi’s side also have the best home record in LaLiga and have secured 36 points from their 14 matches.

Hello and welcome to the live commentary for the LaLiga clash between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona v Atlético Madrid Live Commentary, 23/04/2023

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