Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid last night to open up a three-point gap over current champions Real Madrid in the La Liga standings.
A goal from Ousmane Dembele was all it took for the Blaugrana to grab a crucial win as they put in a solid defensive performance led by Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.
While there were moments when Atletico Madrid threatened to breach the goal, Barça looked in control for most of the match and returned with a well-earned victory that puts them in the driver’s seat when it comes to the La Liga title race.
Speaking after the game, captain Sergio Busquets opened up on how it was important for the Catalans to win on Sunday, especially after Real Madrid had slipped up against Villarreal on Saturday.
“Yes, very happy, we knew we were coming to a difficult stadium, we had to take advantage of Real Madrid’s stumble, we played an equal match and had several chances. We performed well and created chances,” Busquets said.
“We suffered at the end, but 3 important points,” he added.
Talking about the clean sheet, the captain said: “It’s important to keep a clean sheet, when you play away from home, you always face difficulties, especially when we talk about a team like Atletico.”
On the manager asking for more effectiveness in attack, Busquets said: “We hoped to be more effective in attack, defensively we presented an excellent picture, they had a clear opportunity but we were tight defensively and offensively.”
Andreas Christensen, who put in a solid display and drew praise from his manager, also spoke to the media after the game and said: “We did the job perfectly.”
“It was an important victory at a difficult stadium. We had a plan and we played according to it and got what we wanted. There were some dangerous shots, but we defended them well. We worked very well.”
On how his adaptation at Barcelona has gone so far, the Dane added: “Good question, but my adaptation has been very easy. I feel comfortable in any defensive position I play.”
Talking about his defensive partner Ronald Araujo, Christensen said: “Araujo is a key cog in the side. We see how important he is to the team in every game.”
There were some words from Pedri as well, who was crucial to Barcelona’s victory. It was the midfielder who started the move for the goal, going past several Atletico Madrid players before laying the ball off to Gavi, who in turn played in Dembele.
Speaking about the move, Pedri said: “I received the ball and saw a large space behind me. I tried to dodge until a player entered in order to pass to him. I saw Gavi and passed to him, and in turn, he passed to Dembele.”
“Xavi always tells me to try to reach the penalty area more, to play one-on-one, to shoot on goal, and to take more risks. Xavi asks me to play like this and the truth is he has a lot of credit for today’s goal,” he added.
Talking about the tweaks in formation Xavi had made and how it impacts him, the midfielder said: “With this system of play, I’m closer to the opponent’s area.”
Barcelona will now travel to Saudi Arabia where they will be playing the Spanish Super Cup. The Catalans will take on Real Betis in the semi-final and could face either Real Madrid or Valencia in the finals should they get past the Verdiblancos.
Source: BarçaTV+
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