Atletico Madrid stun Barcelona with late winner to top La Liga

Atletico Madrid staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Barcelona 2-1 and claim the top spot in La Liga on Saturday.

Despite Pedri’s opener for the Catalans in the first half, Atletico responded with second-half goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Alexander Sorloth, with the latter scoring a stoppage-time winner. Diego Simeone’s side now sits three points clear at the summit, having played one game less than Barcelona.

Barcelona dominated the opening stages, with a high press stifling Atletico. Pedri broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, combining brilliantly with Gavi before calmly slotting past Jan Oblak. The visitors should have extended their lead early in the second half, but Fermin Lopez was denied by Oblak, and Raphinha hit the crossbar.

Atletico capitalized on Barcelona’s missed chances, equalizing when a poor clearance from Marc Casado allowed De Paul to fire home a low drive. The match appeared destined for a draw until Nahuel Molina delivered a precise cross deep into stoppage time for Sorloth to secure the victory.

The result leaves Barcelona, who have won just one of their last seven league matches, vulnerable to dropping further down the table as Real Madrid could leapfrog them with a win against Sevilla on Sunday.

Atletico’s resilience marks their 12th consecutive win across all competitions, ensuring they’ll top the table heading into the Christmas break.