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Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fought it out till the final minute at the Wanda Metropolitano. Diego Simeone's men kept their shape and defended well throughout the game and looked like they could keep Lionel Messi and Barcelona at bay for the entirety of 90 minutes.
Earlier, Saul Niguez opened the scoring for Atletico Madrid with a curling effort from 25 yards out. Atletico, however, lost steam in attack after that and were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure as Barcelona tried relentlessly to find spaces to exploit in the final third.
Valverde's substitutions worked to a great extent and Barcelona got going in the final 20 minutes and Luis Suarez made sure they eked out a point with a brilliant header from a delicious cross by Sergi Roberto.
Lionel Messi got a freekick right outside the box in the very last minute and though the world hoped to see the second instalment of Messi magic in the same week, it was not to be and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Here are 5 talking points from the game.
#5. Barcelona desperately need another creative outlet in midfield
It was all possession and no penetration from Valverde's men for the greater part of the game. La Blaugrana were content to play the ball from wing to wing and lacked the cutting edge to worry Atletico Madrid's defence.
They came knocking often and as soon as Atletico defenders answered the call and got to their tails, they passed the ball back in order to try and rebuild from the back once again. Iniesta and Messi were the only bright sparks for Barcelona in the first half.
The Spanish maestro tried to exert his influence on the game with some neat incisive passing but otherwise, the Barcelona midfield looked pretty clueless in venturing into the defensive third.
To blatantly state it would be a crime of sorts but there is certainly a Coutinho sized gap in the Barcelona midfield.
#4. Atletico Madrid were resolute in defence and toothless in attack
Atletico Madrid did have their fair share of chances but their attacking moves lacked the level of intensity needed to break down the Barca defence.
Antoine Griezmann was lively and made a great run and even nutmegged Pique before forcing a save off ter Stegen. But he passed up a chance to free up Correa later on and snuffed a chance to perhaps, extend their lead in the second half. However, their infirmity in attack is also due to the fact that they were always cautious to not let Barcelona break free.
They held their defensive shape well and was never in a situation where they could have been outnumbered. This worked well for a large portion of the game and they were even effective in silencing Messi.
However, if they had piled on the pressure after the goal and went ahead and got another goal, they could have well and truly knocked Barcelona out of the game.
#3. Barcelona benefit from the pace off the bench
It is fair to say that Valverde got his substitutions spot on tonight. His decision to bring in Deulofeu and Roberto on the right flank instilled some energy and pace into the team and these were visibly lacking in the first half.
This could work well for Barcelona in the future and it is a strategy that has paid dividends elsewhere, especially in the case of Jose Mourinho's Manchester United-- a team that uses pace off the bench to great advantage.
On top of that, Andre Gomes started exerting his influence on the game after the right flank was secured by the fresh legs of Roberto and Deulofeu.
It was Sergi Roberto's delicious ball that set up Luis Suarez for the equalizer.
Deulofeu caused a lot of problems down the right flank and put Atletico on the backfoot. His being a constant threat stopped Filipe Luis from venturing forward and as a result, Atletico Madrid found it more and more difficult to get higher up the pitch in the last 20 minutes or so.
#2. Atletico Madrid needs to feel more at home at Wanda Metropolitano
Wanda Metropolitano is no Calderon. And Atletico Madrid away from Calderon just didn't feel like the Atletico Madrid we know.
Sure, the noise levels were high and the fans seemed to have forgotten about the defeat against Chelsea. But seeing out a 1 goal advantage is bread and butter stuff for Diego Simeone's men.
However, they did not look like their old selves, especially towards the business end of the match. Atletico botched several of their set-pieces and Diego Simeone's characteristically defensive substitutions didn't help the cause either.
Despite the substitutions, Atletico gave away yet another late goal, 2nd in 2 big matches so far and one can't help but feel that it might take a little while before the Wanda Metropolitano truly becomes home-- the place where Simeone's men do what they want and rub it in with some deafening decibel levels.
#1. Do we really need to talk about Luis?
Luis Suarez looked much better today than he had all season and that is a very reassuring sign for La Blaugrana. He combined well with Messi in the final third and was determined, on most occasions, to get his shot away.
He got a couple of efforts on goal and one was blockedGodin and the other was brilliantly saved by Oblak. But special players produce special moments and Suarez's goal in the 81st minute was one such instance.
Sergi Roberto's excellent floated ball found Luis Suarez at the edge of the 6-yard box and he slotted it past Oblak with ease. On a day when Messi could not work his magic, Barcelona wanted someone to step up and deliver the goods, and there he was.
Sure, the Uruguayan hitman is not at his lethal best and is not a wholesome threat all by himself but he sure looks like he'll sort his feet out and start tormenting defences like we know he can.
So, everyone needs to just calm down and maybe let him off the hook for a bit.
