There is a new leader in La Liga. Alexander Sorloth scored a 96th-minute goal in a 2-1 win over Barcelona to send Atletico Madrid top of La Liga. Hansi Flick’s Blaugrana have led La Liga almost from the start of the season, but Atleti are climbing the table with a 12-game winning streak in all competitions.
Barcelona had been riding the offside trap to protect their defense for most of the season to keep Inaki Peña in the net, but it all came crashing down in the second half. In the first half, Pedri scored to give Barcelona the lead at halftime. Diego Simeone’s men didn’t have a shot on target at the time, but that quickly changed.
Rodrigo de Paul took advantage of defensive mistakes to raise the level of the game, and it looked like the points would be shared. Sorloth came on in the 73rd minute and only managed one shot, but that was all that mattered. After blocking Barcelona’s attack, Atleti went on the counter and Nahuel Molina’s cross found Solos, who did not miss.
This goal was the decisive goal that allowed Atlético Madrid to open La Liga by taking the top spot in the league by three points. After a big summer with the additions of Soloroth, Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez, this Atletico Madrid team has reinvented itself from a defense-first team to one of the best attacking teams in the world. With 33 goals scored and only 12 conceded in La Liga, Atleti not only finished top of the table but also opened the door for their crosstown rivals Real Madrid.
It took Kylian Mbappe a while to get on board with Los Blancos, but they are now four points off the top with a game in hand as the league enters its winter break following this weekend. Now it’s time for the teams to take a break, but tonight is a time to celebrate Simeone and company as they move to the top of the Christmas League.
