Atlético Madrid blew a two-goal lead at the Metropolitano to lose 4-2 against FC Barcelona, putting a La Liga title increasingly further out of sight.
In what started off as a goliath response to Champions League heartbreak suffered just four days ago, Los Colchoneros saw their 2-0 lead crumble rather spectacularly. Goals from Julián Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth had the red and white side of Madrid bouncing, but Barça hit back instantaneously through Robert Lewandowski, Ferrán Torres and a horribly-deflected Lamine Yamal shot.
Here are Into the Calderón's key takeaways from the week's second soul-crushing defeat.
Monster month proves to be too much
The last 19 days have seen Atlético play Real Madrid twice, Barcelona twice, Athletic Club and Getafe CF across three different competitions. The eternally-elusive Champions League is long gone, the league title looks to be drifting into the horizon, and the Copa del Rey hangs precariously in the balance.
It was a run of games that was always going to paint a more-conclusive picture of whatever fruits would come from the Rojiblanco labour. Unfortunately, for all of the immense mental, physical and emotional energy thrown into it, Diego Simeone's team have very little to show from this effort - and two titles have been stripped from them in the most cruel and dramatic of ways.
ATM 2-4 FCB (FT) - El Barcelona es el PRIMER rival que le remonta (para ganar) DOS goles de desventaja al Atlético de Madrid de Simeone.
El Atleti no perdía un partido de La Liga tras lograr 2 goles de ventaja desde el 4 de noviembre de 2007 (3-4 contra el Villarreal, con Javier…
— MisterChip (Alexis) (@2010MisterChip) March 16, 2025
The story looks something like this. A monumental effort at Montjuïc saw Atleti come out of the cup first leg with a 4-4 draw. This was backed up by an equally hard-fought win at home to Athletic (who at the time were dangerously close behind in the table). Then, two defensive lapses allowed Real Madrid a first leg European advantage, shortly followed by a meltdown at the Coliseum against Getafe. The second leg in the UCL produced one of the most hair-raising and controversial endings to a football match in history, and then came tonight.
In a deep dive analysis, fingers could be pointed in multiple directions, but what will ultimately be concluded is that it was all a bit too much. Reinforcements may need to come in and departures may need to be dealt with, but for the first season of this new team playing an exigente style, they've given it a damn good go. And let’s not forget, it's not quite done yet.
FBL-ESP-LIGA-ATLETICO MADRID-BARCELONA
Griezmann shows hope amid uncertainty of future
With enough narrative surrounding him to fill a novel, there was always going to be attention drawn towards Antoine Griezmann — regardless of his performance. Just a day after it was reported that he is in "advanced negotiations" to join LAFC in the summer, all eyes were on the Frenchman, especially given his history when in this situation.
In February 2019, Griezmann entered into talks to move to Barcelona, unbeknownst to Atleti. What followed was a drop-off in performances that fans attributed to mentally checking out once he knew he would leave. Those same fans are now questioning if history is repeating itself, due to El Principito's perceived decline in recent weeks.
Atletico De Madrid V Fc Barcelona - Laliga Ea Sports Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images
After underwhelming displays in both legs of the Champions League last 16 against Real Madrid, plus seemingly correlating lapses when Alvarez hits form, Griezmann reminded us what he was capable of on Sunday night. A fantastically-timed ball across the opposition area found Giuliano Simeone who was able to cut it back for Alvarez to break the deadlock on 45 minutes. In Atleti's second goal, he combined well with Conor Gallagher before the Englishman was released through to set up Alexander Sørloth.
The result won't reflect on his efforts tonight, but should Griezmann want to add to his Europa League and pair of Supercopas with Atlético, he must understand that his role is key. He has now equalled Lionel Messi's record as the foreigner with the most appearances in La Liga, but for that to carry any weight, surely a winner's medal from the competition will be needed too.
A cruel end for Reinildo
You don't need to have the football IQ of Johan Cruyff to work out that Atleti's weakness is its left side. It's been a sacrifice for the greater good since Diego Simeone decided to revert back to a 4-4-2 earlier in the season. The change has called for a 'true' left-back to take the place of an attack-minded wing-back.
The problem is that, for all of the talk of Atleti having the best squad in La Liga, this is the one position where they find themselves understaffed from a quality perspective. The responsibility has mainly fallen on Javi Galán ever since his Madrid derby assist in September. However, the sorry Spaniard has found himself being made a fool of by some of the league's finest wingers.
Real Madrid C.F. v Atletico de Madrid - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 First Leg Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
That's where Reinildo comes in; El Cholo brought him back into the team to see if he could fare any better during this important run of fixtures. In midweek, he put in a resolute shift up against Rodrygo and Fede Valverde, which earned him the reward of a battle with Lamine Yamal and Jules Koundé tonight.
Initially, the Mozambican got the better of his 17-year-old counterpart, only being dribbled past twice in nine first-half duels. His yellow card then raised suspicions of whether he would be able to keep it up for the second period, but Reinildo stood firm. After conceding two goals which came from errors in other areas, it looked as if he was about to go 90 minutes without incident.
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El está siendo el antídoto contra Lamine Yamal:
7/9 duelos ganados
4 faltas recibidas
100% regates completados
100% acierto en el pase
Su poderío físico es abrumador. Lamine solo le pudo regatear 2 veces. pic.twitter.com/QIxf7Vflrc
— Atlético Stats (@atletico_stats_) March 16, 2025
That was until Yamal looked to fire a shot towards Jan Oblak's near post, resulting in a wicked deflection off the thigh of... yep, Reinildo. It was a brutal ending to a near perfect night that is likely to have Simeone continuing to select the 31-year-old.