It was a perfect night for Lionel Messi. The diminutive Argentine forward was at his best on a night the Catalans were their own enemies. On a night when Diego Simeone’s men rallied from behind to force a 2-2 stalemate, Lionel Messi wasn’t to be stopped from netting his 700th career goal.
The Argentine hit the landmark goal for club and country with a cheeky chip past Jan Oblak in the Atletico’s goal. It was an incredible chip, his fourth career penalty. However, not even that magic moment would inspire Barcelona against a resolute Atletico Madrid.
It was an action-packed match, with controversial VAR decisions, penalties, and an end to end drama.
Here are the four talking points as Barcelona lose ground in the fight for the La Liga title.
Diego Costa had a terrible night
It was a big decision for Diego Simeone to bring Costa ahead of Alvaro Morata against Barcelona. Costa is a more experienced forward than Morata, and his selection to lead the attack line was after all expected.
Nonetheless, Costa did little to justify his selection.
He found himself in an awkward position, and while trying to defend Lionel Messi corner, he turned the ball into his own net. Things would turn from bad to worse after Yannick Carrasco was brought down in the penalty area, and Costa stepped up to convert from the spot.
He scuffed his penalty into the waiting hands of Marc-Andre, squandering the chance to draw his side level. However, there was a reprieve for him after the referee adjudged the goalkeeper to have come out of his line. Saul Niguez stepped up to convert the repeat penalty instead.
Antoine Griezmann Horror
The Spanish forward crossed over from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona in a big-money move. As a result, he was expected to make a difference in the forward line but has since found playing time hard to come by.
But more than that, it’s his relationship with senior Barcelona players that continue to raise eyebrows. On the pitch, they do not pass him the ball, despite being in prime positions in the attacking third.
It is no wonder then that Luis Suarez, fresh from recovery, gets to play full 90 minutes as a fit Griezman looks on from the bench.
Arturo Vidal with an underwhelming performance
The Chilean midfielder has struggled to find his footing with Barcelona. His woes continued, with his first touches giving away possession in dangerous areas. But he could not stabilize the midfield that cost Barcelona even more.
Vidal was energetic as usual, trying his best to control the midfield and string quality passes. However, his rash challenge on Carrasco in the penalty area was a prime example of his horrific night and uninspiring performance.
Penalty Galore
The referee pointed to the spot when Arturo Vidal brought down Yannick Carrasco in the box. It was the first penalty of the game and one which would result in two other more.
And when the second penalty of the night came, Lionel Messi grabbed the opportunity to score his 700th career goal with a sumptuous penalty, a cheeky chip past Jan Oblak.
Nonetheless, it was Carrasco who would win another penalty for Atletico Madrid, providing them with a chance to draw level for the second time in the game.
