Full-time! Barcelona 1-1 Atlético Madrid
That’s your lot. It’s all square.
Well, that was great fun. It’s an OK result for both – though Real will perhaps be happiest with the stalemate after their own battling draw at home to Villarreal earlier on. Of the two managers Diego Simeone will be marginally more pleased having fought from a goal behind. Atlético were typically strong in defence, yet were blunt going forward until after half time. They did well to stifle Barça throughout, though, and it is worth noting that the hosts’ goal came from a set piece. Lionel Messi’s groin injury will be a worry for Luis Enrique. Thanks for reading! Until next time …
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90 min +2: Atlético have everybody back but Neymar wins a corner off a deflected shot from the edge of the area. It is taken low to Iniesta on the edge of the box. His strike is wide.
89 min: Rakitic has a go but Oblak is not troubled. There will be three minutes added on.
88 min: Godín generates amazing power with a header from just inside the box, climbing between Piqué and Gomes. Ter Stegen tips it over his bar and the corner does not produce a clearcut opportunity.
86 min: Yikes. Luis slides in wildly on Turan but the referee plays an advantage. It’s excellent refereeing because Barça have numbers forward. Neymar and Suárez are involved in the build up but the move ends with Alba having a shot deflected over. Oblak smothers the ensuing corner.
85 min: We’re in for an absorbing conclusion here. This has been high quality from the start but tempers are beginning to fray and gaps are appearing.
84 min: Suárez is booked for an extremely poor tackle on Luis, planting his studs on the Atlético defender’s ankle. That’s only the first booking for a Barça player.
83 min: After a delay, Neymar’s teasing delivery is met by the head of Piqué, but he is a whisker wide from making it 2-1.
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81 min: Atlético are as compact as ever, so Barça are playing in a U, going from right to left and back again. Eventually the ball comes back to the left. And Thomas makes a needless challenge from behind on Neymar, picking up a yellow card and giving away a dangerous free-kick on the left.
78 min: Neymar finds joy against Juanfran for the first time this evening, dribbling past the right back. However, the Brazilian’s powerful shot is straight at Oblak.
75 min: the other peroxide-dyed Barça attacker, Neymar, takes it in the Argentinian’s absence. It hits the wall and goes out for a corner. Neymar takes that, too, but it’s cleared.
76 min: Suárez is down again, this time a victim of GBH by Correa, who slides in late and clumisly. This is prime Messi territory, but …
73 min: Atleti’s final change sees Carrasco replaced by Thomas.
72 min: Suárez goes down clutching his hamstring after a challenge from behind by Saúl. It should be a foul but play continues.
70 min: It comes to nothing.
69 min: Suddenly Barça have monopolised possession again. Turan is fouled by Luis on the right wing. Neymar jogs over to take …
68 min: Suárez has a go. It comes back off the wall.
67 min: Things are beginning to get feisty. Griezmann takes a heavy touch and then slides in high on Rakitic. He is booked. Suárez and Iniesta eye up the free-kick, which is close to 30 yards from goal.
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64 min: Barça respond well by winning a corner but it’s cleared. This is classic Atlético. They always seem to find a way. Simeone will be in self-congratulatory mood if it remains 1-1, too, considering the subs he made less than a minute earlier.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-1 Atlético Madrid (Correa)
61 min: And the substitute scores with his first piece of action! He makes the most of a slip by Mascherano and flies inside the area before calmly tucking the ball low past Ter Stegen and in to the bottom left corner. It came after a quickly taken free-kick near halfway reached Torres, who then played to his fellow sub.
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60 min: Correa replaces Gameiro. And Torres is on for Saúl.
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59 min: Barça’s second change sees Turan replace Messi.
58 min: Meanwhile, Gabi shoots wide. Messi’s injury came after pressure from Godín. He turned away and seemed to turn awkwardly.
55 min: Messi is injured. He’s clutching his groin and is about to be replaced.
53 min: Koke is booked for foul on Neymar. It’s taken longer than expected for the first booking, but there you have it.
51 min: Busquets, who has been quiet but effective, is coming off. He must be carrying a knock. André Gomes is on in his place.
50 min: Attendance in Camp Nou this evening: 89,421.
49 min: It’s end to end stuff now. Gameiro beats Mascherano for pace down the right and cuts the ball in to Griezmann. His shot is wayward but the complexion of the game may be beginning to change.
47 min: And at the other end Messi has a shot blocked after Neymar lays off. Have we said goodbye to the tense tactical tussle that dominated the first half?
46 min: Within 15 seconds Griezmann bursts forward from halfway and upon reaching the penalty arc shoots. Ter Stegen is down well to save.
Kick-off
46 min: Atlético restart. What can they do to get level?
Half-time: Barcelona 1-0 Atlético Madrid
45 min: Atlético have had to put more men forward, so Suárez finds more space to run in to. He passes to Messi, whose shot is blocked. And that is half time – there are only four additional seconds – in an intense tactical battle that should open up after the break thanks to Rakitic’s goal.
44 min: Griezmann wins a free kick 27 yards out. There is a bit of a delay because the Barça wall is determined to cross the foamy line. When it is eventually taken, by the Frenchman, it’s over hit and harmlessly bounces out for a goal-kick.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Atletico (Rakitic)
41 min: They have won a corner though, and the Croatia midfielder scores from it with a header. Neymar took a short corner to Iniesta who swung in a magnificent cross from the left and Rakitic rose in front of Luis to direct a glancing header low to Oblak’s left. Now, how can Atlético respond?
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40 min: Barça continue to probe. Messi and Suárez exchange quick passes on the edge of the area but eventually come against a wall.
36 min: Rakitic is tackled by Griezmann on the edge of the area and the ball breaks to Neymar, who shoots narrowly wide. Oblak seemed to have the angle covered.
33 min: Barça have strong claims for handball waved away. Iniesta runs at Saúl, and the ball deflects off him and on to Gabi. It would have been harsh but there appeared to be contact with the latter’s hand. He had no reaction time and there was no intention.
32 min: Iniesta plays a sweet, low ball to Suárez from the left but his first time effort is blocked by Godín. Unsurprisingly, Barça have had 70% possession.
31 min: Atlético are still getting forward at times, but it is always in a rush. Carrasco, perhaps their most likely to score on the early evidence, flashes wide from about 25 yards.
28 min: Gameiro, Atlético’s most advanced player, is about 20 yards inside his own half. Barça remain unable to find a hole. Who will be the first to blink?
26 min: A prolonged passage of passing from Barça. It comes to nothing, met by a wall of black shirts.
24 min: Again Griezmann comes deep and creeps up on a Barça midfielder to turn over possession. This time Iniesta is caught out, but Carrasco is unable to break.
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22 min: Alba crosses towards Suárez from the left, but Godín rises to head away. The Barça striker accidentally steps on the defender’s foot. He’s limping a tad but will shake it off.
20 min: Iniesta shoots straight at Oblak. Two brief flashes aside, Barça are yet to begin flowing. That is mostly down to their opponents’ tireless work without possession.
18 min: Luis shoots over after Griezmann robs Rakitic of the ball in midfield and the away team break. Griezmann sends a low cross in that is hooked away by an alert Mascherano, but only into the path of the Atleti left-back. His punt was always rising, though.
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16 min: It is worth noting that Barça’s shape changes to two banks of four without possession – Neymar is dropping into the left side of midfield. Carrasco, on the opposite flank, gets a small sight of goal when cutting inside Roberto. His right-footed shot is palmed away without much bother by Ter Stegen.
14 min: Atlético’s gameplan will be of no surprise to anybody. Without possession they are sitting back as a unit, looking to win the ball and break rapidly. Even with all 11 shirts defending though, Neymar, Suárez and Messi are still able to link up well – in that order, too, before Messi tries to curl past Oblak from 25 yards. The visiting goalkeeper makes a solid, unspectacular save.
11 min: Godín is fouled by Piqué deep in the Atlético box, but it seems a fair aerial battle. If it happened at the opposite end, you sense the defending player would also have earned the free kick.
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7 min: Both teams are happy to be patient early on here. We’re still waiting for a moment to ignite the torch paper. Who reckons there will be a red card at some point?
5 min: Atlético break through Griezmann. The France attacker feeds Gameiro, who gets past Piqué but he is eventually met by so many red and blue shirts he can no longer go forward. The ball eventually ends up back with Oblak, who mishits a pass, sending the ball out for a throw in. That will allow Barça to squeeze forward.
4 min: Messi’s next touch is exquisite. He plays a one-two with Roberto, who is up from right back, but the forward’s shot is blocked by Koke.
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“Luis Enrique can write off the starting line-up against Alavès as a lesson well and truly learnt,” emails Charles Antaki. “Poor old Paco Alcácer. But what did he expect in moving to a club which has Messi, Neymar and Suárez available and clamouring to play every week? What, apart from the huge pile of cash?
2 min: Some patient buildup play concludes with a rarity: Messi fails to keep control of a pass, allowing Atlético their first taste of the ball. It’s lost by Gabi in midfield.
Kick-off
1 min: Barça get the game underway, playing from left to right as we view it.
Here come the teams. The pre-match handshakes and bits and bobs are underway. Barça are in their blue and red stripes, Atlético wear black with yellow socks. It’s quite a decent kit, actually.
Full time: Real Madrid 1-1 Villarreal, which perhaps makes defeat for either side here less of a deadening blow. No matter, we’re five minutes away from kick-off and both sides have taken on a quite attacking look – surprisingly in Atleti’s case.
Real have equalised early in the second half at the Bernabéu, thanks to Sergio Ramos.
The teams
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar.
Subs: Cillessen, Denis, Turan, Alcácer, Digne, Gomes, Mathieu.
Atlético Madrid: Oblak; Juanfran, Savic, Godín, Luis; Saúl, Gabi, Koke; Griezmann, Gameiro. Carrasco.
Subs: Moreira, Lucas, Giménez, Thomas, Gaitán, Corea, Torres.
Hello. A bold prediction: when it comes to the end of this season tonight’s game will be mentioned as one of the key moments. Yes, La Liga may only be five rounds old but this meeting will have an impact. The magical fixture generator may have made a mistake by pitting Barça and Atleti against each other so early – it’s hardly the last day of the season, eh? – but this will be a belter nonetheless.
Barça’s front three were in irresistible form last week, thrashing both Celtic in the Champions League and newly promoted Leganés on Saturday lunchtime, though they do have one in the L column courtesy of a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Alavés. In comparison, Atlético have not been as free flowing, a 4-0 win over Celta Vigo aside, but remain undefeated, drawing two of their four games against … Leganés and Alavés. With Real 100% at the moment – their home game against Villarreal will be completed shortly before kick-off at Camp Nou, though Bruno has put the visitors in front thanks to a panenka – dropping points here could end up being quite a substantial blow for both.
The hosts will be without Sam Umtiti, who has sustained knee ligament damage and may be absent for some time. Javier Mascherano will line up alongside Gerard Piqué. For Diego Simeone’s team Tiago, Moyá and Alessio Cerci are ruled out.
Team news will be here imminently. Kick off is 10pm in Barcelona (9pm BST).
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