Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored the goals as Barcelona came from behind to beat nine-man Atletico Madrid 2-1 at the Camp Nou on Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash that sent them three points clear in La Liga.
Atletico went ahead in the 10th minute through Koke, but Messi equalized for Barca following a fine team move on the half-hour mark.
Suarez struck his 31st goal in as many games after 38 minutes and a wild challenge from Filipe Luis on Messi earned the Atletico defender a red card before halftime.
Photo: EPA
Diego Godin was also sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a mistimed tackle on Suarez midway through the second half.
“We knew it would be a difficult game and we are happy with three points against a direct opponent,” Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo told reporters. “There is still a long way to go in the championship. We are going well at the moment in all the tournaments and it is good to get a win, even though we were not at our best.”
Barcelona moved on to 51 points, three ahead of Atletico, and have a game in hand.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone opted to play five in midfield, with Antoine Griezmann the lone striker. It meant they were able to outnumber Barcelona in the middle of the pitch early on and they threatened immediately with Bravo stretching to block a Saul Niguez strike.
Koke was then given space to stroke the ball home in the center of the penalty area from a Niguez cross.
Gradually Barca began to impose themselves, with Suarez having a shot blocked by goalkeeper Jan Oblak after a good passing move and they again probed the defense before Jordi Alba picked out Messi for the equalizer.
Atletico were sloppy defensively as Suarez latched onto a simple ball over the top by Alves and beat Oblak too easily from a tight angle.
The visitors’ chance of a comeback were hit by a knee-high, studs-up challenge by Filipe Luis on Messi that saw him dismissed.
Still, Atletico pushed forward after the break and Griezmann was unlucky with a shot that came back off Bravo, who knew little about it, before heads began to drop after Godin’s dismissal.
In other matches on Saturday, a second-half Bruno Soriano penalty gave Villarreal a 1-0 victory over Granada that put them level on 44 points with third-placed Real Madrid, who were due to face RCD Espanyol yesterday.
Jean-Sylvain Babin pulled back Roberto Soldado in the penalty area and Soriano sent goalkeeper Andres Fernandez the wrong way with his spot-kick after 54 minutes.
Elsewhere, an Inaki Williams header gave Athletic Bilbao a 1-0 victory at Getafe, Xabi Prieto and Inigo Martinez were on target for Real Sociedad in a 2-1 win over Real Betis Balompie and Sociedad Deportiva Eibar fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Malaga.
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