SPAIN Striker Joao Felix scored the only goal to help Barca defeat parent club Atletico Madrid 1-0 in round 15 of La Liga.
Felix joined Atletico for 142 million USD in the summer of 2019 and is still on the Madrid club's payroll under a contract that expires in 2029. He currently plays for Barca on loan without a buyout clause. This contract does not have a clause prohibiting Felix from playing Atletico, and he is allowed to play at Olympic - Barca's home stadium when Camp Nou is renovated this season - on December 3.
It was Felix who made the difference with the only goal in the 28th minute. Receiving Raphinha's pass, the Portuguese striker eliminated Nahuel Molina and then technically hit the ball past goalkeeper Jan Oblak. This is Felix's fifth goal for Barca in all competitions, including two goals in La Liga and three in the Champions League.
It was even more ironic when Felix opened fire in his first official match against Atletico. Previously, in the Atletico shirt, the 24-year-old striker did not score any goals in eight matches against Barca in all competitions.
After tearing down the net for his parent club, Felix jumped on the advertising board and spread his arms - a familiar celebration of Jude Bellingham in a Real Madrid shirt. Before the match, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said the club was ready to welcome Felix back, if he was not bought permanently by Barca in the summer of 2024. But Goal commented that Atletico fans definitely no longer want Felix to wear the shirt. home team after this outrageous goal celebration.
Felix's goal also helped Barca rise to third in La Liga with 34 points, three points ahead of Atletico but playing one more match. In the next round, Barca continues to play at home against Girona - the club ranked second with 38 points, only behind Real Madrid in difference, while Atletico returns home to play Almeria.
At the Olympic Stadium yesterday, Barca entered the game better and continuously created waves towards the away team's goal. At 56 seconds, Raphinha had the ball in the penalty area, but he did not shoot straight in a face-to-face position but passed horizontally and was not responded to by any teammates.
In the 12th minute, Jules Kounde escaped to the right and then crossed the ball for Robert Lewandowski to finish with one touch in an unmarked position, sending the ball wide of the post. At the end of the first half, Felix missed the opportunity to score a double when his close-range shot was blocked by Oblak.
Wasting opportunities caused Barca to experience heart-stopping moments in the second half, especially towards the end of the match. In the 80th minute, Memphis Depay, a striker for Barca in the 2021-2023 period, took a free kick against the dangerous fence. But Inaki Pena - who started instead of Marc-Andre ter Stegen - flew as far as he could and pushed the ball away from the post. In the fourth minute of injury, Pena continued to shine when he blocked a cross-angle shot in the face of Angel Correa.
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