It had to be him. Barcelona inflicted Atlético Madrid’s first league defeat at the Metropolitano in over a year and João Félix was the man who hurt them because, well, because of course he was.
The most expensive signing in Atlético’s history, the forward who still belongs to them but is desperate never to go back and who would not be welcomed back either; the man went to Barcelona on loan and scored the only goal when these two teams last met, leaping on to the advertising boards at Montjuïc and blowing his former fans a kiss; the man who was whistled every time he touched the ball on his first trip back, scored the opening goal to set up a painful night.
That was followed by goals from Robert Lewandowski, who scored one and made two, and Fermín López as Barcelona secured a 3-0 victory that takes them into second and leaves Diego Simeone’s team outside a Champions League place. By the time Félix was withdrawn, booed all the way, it was done. Atlético had no response the moment the Portuguese put away the first, right in front of the supporters who, like him, hope he never wears their shirt again.
Ultimately, Barcelona had been too good, too clinical, which had not seemed likely at the start. In that opening half an hour Barcelona, the team once defined by their midfield and now coached by perhaps its finest practitioner ever, had no midfield. Unable to get hold of the ball in the centre of the pitch, Marc André ter Stegen sought instead to spear it straight through the midfield in search of Lewandowski at the other end. The four best passes Barcelona had played at that point all came from him. So, it should be said, did the worst, his poor delivery leading to Pablo Barrios striking just wide.
Every time Félix touched the ball, there were whistles, which at this point served mainly to underline the fact that he had hardly touched it at all. By the time the half-hour came round, his total was just five and nor was he that much of an outlier. Atlético were on the front foot. Rodrigo Riquelme, Álvaro Morata and Nahuel Molina combined for the Argentinian to come inside for a shot that was blocked. Samuel Lino then clipped a ball into the area for Morata, which he could not control, and a slick exchange saw Molina escaping up the right. His ball across to Lino was overhit but the Brazilian collected, and sought out Morata at the near post, forcing a sharp intervention from Pau Cubarsi.
Yet Atlético lacked precision, especially when it came to the timing of Morata’s runs, and the momentum soon, and rather suddenly, slipped away. In three minutes, Barcelona created more than they had in 10 times that and, if Félix’s touches had been few, his would be the most decisive of them.
Before it came, Lewandowski had clipped a looping cross to the far post for Raphinha to head just wide and Cubarsi had curled a wonderful long pass that released López to draw a sharp save from Jan Oblak. Then the Portuguese finished off a neat move to open the scoring. Ilkay Gündogan found Lewandowski with a superb pass and he pulled it back for Félix to slot home. This time there was no leap on to the advertising boards and he soon disappeared into a crowd of teammates, hidden from view, which may not have been a bad thing.
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Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann were sent on for the second half. In the meantime the Barcelona coach, Xavi, had been sent off yet again. Almost immediately though, the lead doubled. An error from Rodrigo de Paul gifted possession to Raphinha in the opening minute of the second period and he set up Lewandowski to score with a clean, low shot.
Atlético chased, Ter Stegen making an extraordinary double save from Marcos Llorente and Depay, but it only got worse for the home side. A move given clarity by Gündogan, led to Lewandowski crossing for López, all alone in front of goal, to head in the third of a painful night, inflicted by a familiar face.
