Atletico Madrid stun Barcelona with last-minute win, take La Liga top spot as Barca collapse again

In a thrilling late twist, Atletico Madrid snatched a 2-1 victory over Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Saturday, taking over the top spot in La Liga.

It’s almost becoming a joke at this point—Barcelona, once cruising at the top, now look more like a team scrambling for survival.

After leading the league for much of the season, Barcelona have once again shown their flair for collapsing under pressure, handing Atletico a golden opportunity, which they grabbed with both hands.

Barcelona fans were hopeful when Pedri fired the Catalans ahead in the first half, but as usual, they couldn’t hold on when it really mattered.

Atletico came back with second-half goals from Rodrigo De Paul and super-sub Alexander Sorloth, leaving Barca to wallow in yet another painful home defeat—this being their third straight home league loss.

That hasn’t happened since 1987, and it’s not exactly a stat that screams ‘champions.’

"It‍‍`s inexplicable... we had the game in our hands and we didn‍‍`t take advantage," said a frustrated Pau Cubarsi after the game.

If “inexplicable” were a club motto, it might just belong to Barcelona right now.

Hansi Flick’s side were supposed to walk away with three points, especially given how dominant they were in the first half.

But as has become a habit for Barca this season, they let Atletico hang around just long enough to punish them. This result leaves Atletico three points clear at the top, with a game in hand, while Barcelona are left licking their wounds, having won just one of their last seven league games.

For a team that started the season looking unstoppable, their current form is nothing short of embarrassing.

Pedri gave Barcelona hope, scoring after 30 minutes, but that hope quickly faded as Barcelona’s familiar issues resurfaced.

Raphinha hit the crossbar, Fermin Lopez was denied by Atletico keeper Jan Oblak, and even Pedri’s great assist couldn’t save them this time.

Meanwhile, Atletico bided their time and then struck twice to send the home fans into shock.

Sorloth’s 92nd-minute winner felt inevitable, given how this Barcelona team has mastered the art of bottling big moments.

It was a game Barcelona should have killed off, but instead, they let Atletico back in, gifting them the victory.

As Pedri himself admitted, "It‍‍`s truly a tough defeat to take, when you don‍‍`t finish a game, this is what can happen."

Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak summed it up best: "We suffered a lot, we started badly... but we are in very good form, we resisted, and after going a goal down we knew how to bear it out without letting in the second."

And that’s the difference—Atletico know how to fight, Barcelona clearly don’t.

This was no fluke either. Atletico have now scored in the 90th minute or beyond in 13 games across all competitions this season, a testament to their resilience.

Barcelona, on the other hand, seem to fold like a house of cards whenever the pressure is on.

Atletico’s squad depth and fighting spirit were on full display, with Sorloth, who has started only seven league games, becoming their top scorer with eight goals.

“I spoke to (Sorloth) three or four weeks ago, explaining the idea that I had... his 20, 30 or 40 minutes are extraordinary,” Simeone explained, praising his super-sub striker.

And what of Barcelona? Well, they can hardly be proud of their recent record.

After cruising through the first half of the season, they now find themselves in a downward spiral.

Despite dominating possession and creating chances, they just can’t seem to close out games.

The so-called ‘mighty’ Barcelona have now lost three consecutive home games in the league for the first time in nearly four decades. Let that sink in.

While Atletico’s celebrations at the final whistle were well-earned, Barcelona will be left wondering what happened to the team that once looked like champions.

Real Madrid now have the chance to heap even more misery on Barca when they face Sevilla on Sunday, with the possibility of pushing them further down the table.

"We will fight for everything, we will fight for every point to win this (league)," insisted Flick, sounding like a man trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

At this rate, if Barcelona continue this spectacular implosion, there might not be much left to fight for.

They’ve gone from favorites to flops in record time, and unless they find a way to stop the bleeding, the title they once had in their grasp will be nothing more than a distant memory.

For now, Atletico Madrid sit pretty at the top, while Barcelona are left to wonder where it all went wrong.