"Final drama"

Slogans of perseverance at struggling FC Barcelona

Barca coach Hansi Flick does not want to hear of a crisis.

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Third home defeat in a row, table lead gone: FC Barcelona's crisis in the Spanish soccer championship continued on Saturday evening with a 2:1 defeat in the top-of-the-table game against Atletico Madrid. It was the fourth league defeat in the last seven games, in which only one win was achieved. Flick practiced perseverance afterwards. "The results will come. We will come back stronger," said the German.

The coach did not want to hear about a Barca crisis. "We played an extraordinary game. I'm proud of my players and disappointed with the result," said Flick. The Norwegian Alexander Sörloth shocked the Catalans with his winning goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time and turned the game on its head. "Final drama. Atlético give Barça a bitter and cruel Christmas," wrote the newspaper "Sport".

Flick had to watch it all from the stands as he was still suspended following his red card. The last time the club suffered three LaLiga home defeats in a row was in November 1965, but according to media reports, confidence in the coach remains high. President Joan Laporta, for whom Flick was the preferred choice to succeed club legend Xavi in the summer, only sees a crisis in results that can be corrected, according to Sport.

Atletico flying high
Atletico, on the other hand, are flying high, as evidenced by their recent lead at the top of the table. Coach Diego Simeone admitted that Barca were the better team for large parts of the game, but emphasized the fighting spirit of his players, who came back from a goal down to secure their first away win against the Catalans since 2006. "We were humble enough to suffer and defend against a team that plays very well," said the Argentine. "The team managed to persevere." It was the twelfth competitive win in a row for the Madrilenians.