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29 March 2024

Atletico win La Liga title after draw at Barca

Published
By Football Correspondent and Agencies

A towering Diego Godin header secured Atletico Madrid a 1-1 draw against Barcelona and a first La Liga title for 18 years in a thrilling climax to the campaign on Saturday.

Barca needed to beat Atletico in a final-day showdown to snatch the title away and Alexis Sanchez gave the hosts hope when he rifled home from an acute angle after 33 minutes at a packed Nou Camp.

But four minutes after the break Godin powered home from a corner and Atletico defended robustly to earn the draw they needed and claim their first championship since 1995-96.

"This was something unimaginable at the start of the season but totally deserved," Atletico captain Gabi told Spanish television as his delirious team mate celebrated on the pitch behind him.

"We always believed in ourselves, even when we fell behind today," he added.

"It is a honour to be part of this and to be able to compete with the big clubs.

"Let the fans enjoy this now because they deserve it. We will celebrate this great title now and from Monday we will focus on the Champions League which is the priority now."

Atletico, who contest next Saturday's European showpiece against Real Madrid in Lisbon, finished with 90 points, with Barca second on 87 and Real, also with 87, in third.

It is the first time in 10 years that either Barca or Real Madrid did not win the league and Barca finished without major silverware for the first time in six years.

"We had it within our grasp for 45 minutes but all we can do now is congratulate Atleti," Barca playmaker Andres Iniesta told Spanish TV.

"After we went ahead their goal really hurt us and they are worthy champions," added the Spain international.

"We tried to the very end but today we are left empty-handed. This season is over for us and now we just have to move forward."

FULL-TIME

Barcelona 1 (Sanchez 34") Atletico Madrid 1 (Godin 49")

Atletico Madrid deservedly won Spain's La Liga title for the first time since 1996 after they drew with Barcelona 1-1 in front of close to 100,000 fans at the Nou Camp on Saturday.

The draw was enough for Atletico to finish on top of the table with 90 points while Barcelona finished second with 87 points.

Real Madrid too ended up with 87 points after beating Espanyol 3-1 earlier in the day but had to settle for third place after an inferior goal difference.

90+3 Referee blows the long whistle and there is jubilation in the Atletico camp as the Nou Camp turns silent.

90+2" Barca earn a corner but cannot find the net.

90+1" Barca's press full court but are unable to break the Atletico cordon.

90" Three minutes of stoppage time added.

87" Barca have pushed Pique and Alves on top but time seems to be running out on the Catalans as the crowd is at the edge of their seats.

85" Alves hovers on top of the Atletico box and even threatens to score as Barca are crowding the Atletico goal.

82" Adriano's ball in the box and Pique goes for it but misses and it goes abegging. Pique appeals for penalty claiming he was brought down but of no use.

80" The tall Belgian goalkeeper Courtois leaps to tip over Alves cracking shot.

78" Messi makes his trademark run but is again foiled just on top of the box.

74" Off colour Fabregas is replaced by Xavi as Barca have 16 minute to get that goal which can take them to the title.

70" YELLOW! Song is given  the yellow for a deliberate handball.

69" Lot of time wasting for this free-kick which is just outside the Atletico box and when Messi takes it he shoots it straight into the wall.

66" Neymar's presence seems to have brought life into Messi as he works his magic but is deprived by a strudy defence.

62" GOAL DISALLOWED! Messi scores from close range off a melee but he is pulled up rightly for off side silencing the home crowd.

60" Neymar makes his way in to a loud cacophony of cheers. Pedro Rodrigues makes way for the Brazilian.

58" Atletico defending well here not giving Messi or Fabregas any sniff of the goal.

55" Busquest is replaced by Song and Neymar warms up on the sidelines. The roar is deafening.

53" Busquest is brought down, looks like another substitution but he recovers to take the field. 

Passion and tension running high at the Nou Camp. Five yellow cards have already been handed and two players have limped off.

Atletico have certainly come out in the second half with a purpose as ex-Barca striker Villa swivels and slams a low shot which hits the vertical post. 

Barcelona 1 (Sanchez 34") Atletico Madrid 1 (Godin 49")

49" GOAL! Diego Godin leaps high above the Barca defenders to send a thudding header off a Koke corner to the far corner giving Pinto no chance whatsoever.

45" Villa hits woodwork.

Messi looks perturbed as he is out in the middle for what could be an electrifying second half. 

Lionel Messi, Pique and Sergio Busquets are shown the yellow just as they head down the tunnel. Could it have been their displeasure towards the refereeing?

HALF-TIME

Barcelona 1 (Sanchez 34") Atletico Madrid 0

48" Referee Antonio Miguel blows for half time.

45" Barca must be hoping not to concede before the breather as four minutes are added.

43" Atletico have stepped on the gas earning their fourth corner in a couple of minutes. This time Alves heads it out in time before Koke can get to it.

42" Atletico earn back to back corners and Pinto comes to the rescue punching it away.

40" Fans sing the Barca hymn as Atletico are on the offensive.

37" YELLOW! Nothing going right for Atletico after Godin it's Tiago who is shown the yellow. Looks like the pressure of playing in a decider has gotten to them.

Barcelona 1 (Sanchez 34") Atletico Madrid 0

34" GOAL! Spectacular goal, one you could not imagine. Fabregas chips for Messi in the box. The Argentinian chests the ball down for Pedro and with such a narrow angle sends a creamer past a shocked Courtoius.

30" Messi looks like a spectator on the field as Atletico are hardly giving him room to manoeuvre.

28" Play getting a little rough here as both teams are unable to break the deadlock.

26" Best oportunity so far for Barca as Alves crosses and Pedro goes for the header. Does well to rise above the defenders but nods way over.

23" Atletico going for the kill. Koke volley deflects off a defender.

20" Turan comes off too, looks like a hip injury. Coach Simeone shakes his head in disbelief as two players are off in the first 20 minutes. 

No serious threat by any team towards goal but the tension is visible.

18" Play is stalled as Arfa Turan is felled.

Adrian Lopez replaces Costa. The Atletico fans cannot believe their eyes as Costa sits in the dugout hiding his face behind a towel. 

13" Diego Costa pulls a hamstring, something he was carrying before the game, and limps off. Was the gamble worth it with the Champions League final next week?

10" Atletico push Barca into their own goal as Koke makes a futile attempt and Pique in a desperate bid to clear almost scores an own goal.

9" Puyol watches from the stands and is all animated hoping Barcelona score early. 

7" Adriano tries a long range shot but it lacks the sting to trouble the Belgian goalkeeper Courtois.

5" YELLOW! Pique is cautioned with a yellow early in the game for a charge at Koke.

3" Messi wriggles his way out of two defenders, finds Alves on the right who crosses to Iniesta but the captain fails to get hold of the ball and ends up shooting wide.

1" Diego Costa makes an early inroad although harmless but that should be cause for worry for Barca defenders.

Barca are in their traditional red and blue as Atletico are in yellow. The game gets under way.

Iniesta will captain Barca today as Gabi has the armband for Atletico.

"We are Barca" being played in the background as the players lineup in the middle. 

Anything less than a defeat will see Atletico win the title and end the 10-year duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The colourful Now camp is chock-a-block. A victory for the Catalans will help them put their on and off pitch problems behind.

We are less than 10 minutes away from the kick-off as both teams gear up in the tunnel for one last shot at the La Liga title.

Real Madrid just won their match against Espanyol 3-1 and move to 87 points, one point ahead of second-placed Barcelona.

The win, sans an injured Ronaldo, may not have won them the title, but if gives them the confidence ahead of the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid next Saturday in Lisbon.   

Meanwhile, Brazil forward Neymar, who has been out for a month with a foot injury, does not figure in the starting XI but Gerard Pique returns to boost the defence in the basence of Carles Puyol.

However, Xavi too has been benched and in goal Pinto Colorado replaced Victor Valdes.

Diego Costa is back to shoulder the scoring responsibiliy for Atletico. The Brazil-born striker, who has scored 27 goals this season, missed last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Malaga with a hamstring injury.

STARTING XI

Barcelona: Pinto Colorado, Dani Alves, Adriano, Busquets, Pique, Mascherano, Fabregas, Iniesta, Messi, Sanchez, Pedro.

Subs: Xavi, Neymar, Bartra, Song, Alba, Tello, Olazabal Paredes.

Atletico: Courtois, Juanfran, Filipe Luis, Gabi, Miranda, Godín, Turan, Tiago, Diego Costa, Villa, Koke.
 
Subs: Aranzubia, Suarez, Adrian, Raul Garcia, Alderweireld, Diego, Sosa.
 
TEAM NEWS

Barcelona's Carles Puyol will miss today's winner-takes-all title match with Atletico Madrid, meaning the end of his 15-year career at the club.

The Catalans will retain La Liga if they win but any other result sees Atletico win their first title since 1996.

Brazil forward Neymar, who has been out for a month with a foot injury, and Spain defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are set to return for Barca.

Atletico striker Diego Costa will start after a hamstring strain.

Puyol, 36, who made his debut in October 1999, has suffered with a persistent knee injury this season.

PROBABLE FORMATIONS

Barcelona: 4-3-3

 

Atletico: 4-4-2

STAT ATTACK

Barcelona have scored at least 2 goals in their last 12 home matches in La Liga.

Barcelona are undefeated in their last 10 home matches against Atletico in all competitions.

Atletico are undefeated in 11 of their last 12 matches in La Liga.

 Atletico are undefeated in their last 5 matches against Barcelona in all competitions.

PREVIEW

Barcelona were given a boost before Saturday's La Liga showdown against Atletico Madrid when forward Neymar and defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba were given the all-clear by medical staff on Friday.


Neymar and Alba have been out since suffering injuries in the King's Cup defeat by Real Madrid on April 16, while Pique has not played since the Champions League quarter-final, first leg against Atletico on April 1.

"The three players have accelerated their recuperation from their respective injuries in the past week so that they can be available to the coaching staff for the Atletico game," Barca said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es).

"After a few days working on the sidelines, Pique, Jordi Alba and Neymar joined the group again," they added.

Atletico Madrid's top scorer Diego Costa has shaken off a leg muscle strain and will be in the starting lineup for Saturday's La Liga showdown at Barcelona, coach Diego Simeone said on Friday.

The Brazil-born Spain forward, who has scored 27 goals in La Liga and eight in the Champions League this term, missed Sunday's 1-1 draw at home to Malaga but returns to try to help Atletico secure the point they need to clinch their first domestic league title in 18 years.

"He is fine," Simeone, who was in the 1996 title-winning side, told a news conference.

"He trained normally without any problems and he will play from the start," added the Argentine.

The game at the Nou Camp will be only the third "winner takes all" match on the final day of the campaign in La Liga history and the first since 1951.

Atletico are seeking their first title since 1996 and are top on 89 points, while Barca, bidding for their fifth crown in six years, are second on 86.

A point would be enough for Atletico and Barca need to beat the Madrid club to triumph by virtue of a superior head-to-head record, used to separate teams if they are level on points.

"I don't expect a match that will be decided quickly," Simeone said.

"I expect one where Barca start strongly, I expect the best Barca we have seen in recent times.

"They are playing at home and they have an extraordinary squad. But the game in itself is extremely motivating for the players.

"We are working well and we will look for the best options. We know what we are about and we know our strengths and weaknesses."

Atletico and Barca have played each other five times this season in a series of closely-fought encounters where the Catalan club had the lion's share of possession but were mostly thwarted by Atletico's mean defence.

Barca edged Atletico to win the season-opening Spanish Super Cup, when Neymar's goal in a 1-1 draw at the Calderon in the first leg was enough to secure victory after the pair played out a 0-0 stalemate the Nou Camp in the return.

After holding Barca 0-0 at the Calderon in January in La Liga, Atletico clung on for a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp in last month's Champions League quarter-final, first leg and won the return 1-0 in Madrid.