Barcelona handled adversity with tremendous character, overcoming injuries and a one-goal disadvantage to defeat Atlético Madrid 3–1.
Álex Baena put the visitors in front before Raphinha scored his first goal in nearly three months before halftime. Dani Olmo gave Barcelona the lead just past the hour-mark, injuring himself in the process, before Pedri and Raphinha also exited the pitch in what looked like some discomfort.
With the visitors pushing forward in the dying minutes, Barcelona defended tooth and nail until Ferran Torres scored a third to put an exclamation point on a well-earned win for Hansi Flick’s men.
It’s the fifth comeback victory in La Liga this season for Barcelona, as well as their fifth league win on the bounce. The Catalans are now four points clear of Real Madrid atop the standings, highlighting the importance of tonight’s gritty win.
Lack of intensity had been a thorn in Barça’s side this season. Against Atléti, Flick’s side showed the fighting spirit and tenacity that defined their success from a season ago.
Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Atlético Madrid (4-2-3-1)
GK: Joan García—7.0: His ability to play as a sweeper countered Atléti’s attacking gameplan.
RB: Jules Koundé—7.5: The 2024–25 version of Koundé came to play today. He was flawless defensively and constantly ventured forward with intent down the right flank.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.0: He played Álex Baena onside for Atléti’s opener, which perfectly encapsulated his 2025–26 struggles.
CB: Gerard Martín—7.9: It wouldn’t be surprising if Martín establishes himself as Barça’s starting left center back moving forward. Another stellar performance from the La Masia graduate in the heart of defense.
LB: Alejandro Balde—7.5: Didn’t put a foot wrong defensively, combined constantly with Raphinha on the left flank and assisted Ferran Torres for Barça’s third. Can’t ask for a better performance.
DM: Eric García—7.3: He offered balance in Barcelona’s midfield and supplied cover in defense. His best work came in the dying minutes, destroying Atléti incursions as they searched for an equalizer.
CM: Pedri—8.6: It took just 45 minutes for Pedri to show just how much Barcelona missed him. In his first start since El Clásico, the midfield maestro did whatever he wanted on the Camp Nou pitch and bagged his first league assist since early October. However, his substitution warrants concerns.
RW: Lamine Yamal—8.2: Grew into the game and toyed with Dávid Hancko all night to the tune of nine successful dribbles. He was a tad erratic in the final third, though.
AM: Dani Olmo—8.1: Olmo looked menacing on the ball for a second straight game, but his lackluster pressing efforts earned him criticism from a visibly frustrated Raphinha. He scored for the second straight game, but injured his shoulder in the process.
LW: Raphinha—8.3: The entirety of Barcelona’s system goes up a level with the Brazilian on the pitch. He makes everyone around him better thanks to his movement on and off the ball.
ST: Robert Lewandowski—6.4: A night to forget for the veteran. Some say his penalty shot still hasn’t landed.
| Substitutes | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Ferran Torres (67’ for Olmo) | 7.2 |
| Marcus Rashford (67’ for Lewandowski) | 6.6 |
| Dro Fernández (74’ for Pedri) | 6.3 |
| Marc Casadó (74’ for Raphinha) | 6.3 |
| Andreas Christensen (88’ for Yamal) | N/A |
Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Roony Bardghji, Jofre Torrents, Tommy Marques, Marc Bernal.
Atlético Madrid (4-4-2)
Starting XI: Jan Oblak; Nahuel Molina, José Maria Giménez, Clément Lenglet, Dávid Hancko; Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Johnny Cardoso, Nicolás González; Álex Baena, Julian Álvarez.
Subs used: Koke, Conor Gallagher, Thiago Almada, Alexander Sørloth, Antoine Griezmann.
Player of the Match: Pedri
Barcelona 3–1 Atlético Madrid—How It Unfolded at Camp Nou
The early exchanges presented a script where, as expected, Barcelona tried to dominate possession and press high up the pitch to force dangerous turnovers. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid were determined to exploit Barça’s high line with long, cross-field passes behind the backline.
Just before the 20 minute mark, Atleti’s formula worked to perfection. Nahuel Molina launched a long pass for a charging Álex Baena who went through on goal and chipped Joan García to put the visitors in front. Initially the goal was waved off for offside, but a VAR review showed Pau Cubarsí played Baena onside and the goal was given.
As has become the norm in La Liga during the Flick era, Barcelona responded almost instantly after going a goal down. Six minutes after Baena’s goal, Pedri threaded a perfect pass for Raphinha who darted towards goal, went around Jan Oblak and tucked in Barça’s equalizer with his first goal since Sept. 14.
A bit of skill from from Dani Olmo saw Pablo Barrios take him down inside the penalty area to give Barça a perfect opportunity to take the lead. Though, Robert Lewandowski made a mess of his penalty kick, firing it way over the crossbar for his second miss of the season.
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— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 2, 2025
A frenetic start to the second half saw both teams exchange blows. A sensational moment from Yamal left Raphinha in perfect position to bag a brace, but he dragged his shot wide. Immediately after, Julian Álvarez squared a ball perfectly for Giuliano Simeone, but the Argentine made poor contact and wasted Atléti’s best chance of the night since the opener.
Then, a crafty sequence between Pedri, Olmo and Lewandowski concluded with Olmo firing a weak-foot shot into the bottom corner to give Barcelona the lead in the 65th minute. It was a really well taken finish from Olmo, but the Spaniard appeared to injure his shoulder in the follow-through and had to exit the game.
To make matters worse, Pedri also had to exit the game after falling down on the pitch. The recently injured Raphinha was also substituted, leaving Barcelona to hang on for the final 15 minutes with a makeshift lineup.
Inside the final 10 minutes, Thiago Almada got away from Barcelona defenders and had an open net to score the equalizer. Incredibly, though, Almada’s shot went wide of goal in one of the misses of the season.
Barcelona kept defending with character. Deep into stoppage time, a brilliant combination saw Marcus Rashford free Alejandro Balde down the wing. The left back set up Ferran Torres alone inside the penalty area as he calmly tucked in Barça’s third to secure all three points with the final kick of the game.
Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid Half-Time Stats
| Statistic | Barcelona | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 71% | 29% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.27 | 0.31 |
| Total Shots | 12 | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 1 |
| Big Chances | 3 | 2 |
| Pass Accuracy | 88% | 64% |
| Fouls | 5 | 7 |
| Corners | 2 | 1 |
Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Barcelona | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 58% | 42% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 3.88 | 0.97 |
| Total Shots | 19 | 7 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 2 |
| Big Chances | 6 | 4 |
| Pass Accuracy | 86% | 79% |
| Fouls | 12 | 9 |
| Corners | 5 | 4 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Atletico Madrid: Gritty Performance Yields Vital Comeback.
