Barcelona 2-3 Atletico Madrid: Match Report, Statistics, and Analysis

10/01/20 4715

Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat Barcelona in a crazy Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Saudi Arabia.

Following a goalless first half, Koke put Atletico ahead just after the break when he slotted a cool finish past Barcelona goalkeeper Neto.

But Lionel Messi equalised five minutes later. The Argentine fired a right-footed shot from the edge of the area to level to score.

Messi then had a goal ruled out by VAR after replays showed the Barcelona forward using his arm in the buildup.

However, former Atletico man Antoine Griezmann put Barcelona ahead moments later. The Frenchman headed into an empty net after Jan Oblak had denied Luiz Suarez.

Barcelona then had a second goal ruled out – this time for offside – before Alvaro Morata converted an 81st minute penalty.

But there was still time for more drama. On 86 minutes, Angel Correa scored a dramatic late winner to send Atletico through to the final.

Match Stats

Barcelona – Atletico Madrid

Possession

72%-28%

Shots

16-6

Shots on Target

9-6

Corners

6-2

Fouls

18-14

As the stats suggest, Barcelona dominated the possession. Still, Atletico were far more clinical in front of goal. All of Atletico’s shots were on target, while Barcelona wasted a number of key opportunities.

The match was packed with incidents so the foul count was very high. Joao Felix and Lionel Messi were involved in an altercation in the first half, while Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Stefan Savic all got involved.

Man of the Match: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)

Diego Simeone’s number one made a number of important saves to keep his team in the game. The Slovenian is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and he only enhanced his reputation on Sunday.

Key Facts

• Atletico will face fierce rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday following Los Blancos’ victory over Valencia in the other semi-final.

• The Spanish Super Cup has a new format this year. Last season’s top two in La Liga and the Copa del Rey finalists play in a four-team tournament.

• Due to the competition being hosted in Saudi Arabia, it has been reported that only 9% of the 12,000 tickets available to Spanish fans have been sold.