Flick: Victory over Atletico is of 'utmost importance'

Barcelona overturned a deficit to secure a valuable 2-1 victory over hosts Atletico Madrid, thanks to a Fermin Lopez brace in the twelfth-round La Liga showdown.

The Catalan side’s top-of-the-table position appeared threatened when Argentina’s Juliano Simeoni gave the capital club the lead in the 10th minute, before Lopez turned the tide with goals in the 45th and 66th minutes, handing “Blau-grana” three crucial points. Barcelona remain at the summit with 33 points, three ahead of their closest rival, Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Atletico dropped to third place, two points behind Real, who moved into second after their 3-0 win over Valencia.

On his part, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick responded to questions about the team’s ability to perform in big matches, saying: “I believe in my team, and I am 100% convinced by it and by the idea of the way we want to play football.”

Flick explained that Barcelona did not show the required intensity at the start of the match against Atletico Madrid, noting that the opponents were more dominant in physical duels and one-on-one situations, which gave the home side the advantage in the opening minutes. He added that Barcelona’s return to the game and leveling the score before the end of the first half were key factors in changing the course of the match, emphasizing that his team imposed its control after the break and managed to deliver the performance it had aimed for.

Flick described the win over Atletico as highly important, clarifying that his team did not deliver the expected level in the first half, but improved significantly in the second half and managed to control the flow of the game, making the victory deserved in his view.

Real Betis strengthened their fourth-place position with a valuable 2-0 win over hosts Elche. Real Betis waited until the final minutes to secure the result in their favor. Striker Rodrigo Riquelme gave them the lead in the 81st minute, four minutes after coming on to replace Moroccan international winger Abdessamad Zlzouli, before center-back Marc Bartra added a second goal in the 89th minute.

Real Sociedad recorded their seventh win of the season with a 1-0 home victory over Rayo Vallecano. This result strengthened their fifth-place position with 22 points, four points behind fourth-placed Betis.

Villarreal also secured a win, defeating Getafe 2-0 with a clean sheet. The goals were scored by Canadian Tajon Buchanan in the 80th minute and Carlos Romero in the 91st minute. The “Yellow Submarine” moved up to eighth place with 15 points, while Getafe remained on 12 points in 15th place.