Angel Correa took advantage of some Barcelona mistakes to bring Atletico Madrid level.
Everything was going smoothly for Barcelona at half-time. Despite struggling to break Atletico Madrid down, they led 1-0 thanks to an Ivan Rakitic header. The second half is not going quite so well.
Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi were both forced off with injuries. All injuries are bad news, but it’s rare that a team loses two such influential players in the same game. Atletico manager Diego Simeone was happy to take advantage of his opponent’s misfortune, however, and brought on two forwards to capitalize.
One of those, Angel Correa, ended up scoring the equalizer. Not that he did much to deserve it. The ball deflected off Gerard Pique into Correa’s path, whose route to goal was made pretty straightforward when Barca’s other center-back, Javier Mascherano, slipped.
GOOOAAAAALLLL!@Atleti fires back after @Teammessi injury, @AngelCorrea32 with great run and shot. 1-1. #beINLaLiga https://t.co/zvjpdvBaPN
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) September 21, 2016
With 20 minutes left to play, Barcelona will continue to push for a winner, but their attention will soon turn to the health of Busquets and Messi. A defeat against Atletico would certainly be a blow to their title defense, but this early in the season, they will have opportunities to recover.
However, if Busquets and Messi are out for a long time, they may struggle to do so. This Barca team is many things, but it is not blessed with great depth. Luis Suarez and Neymar are not exactly bad alternatives to have in Messi’s absence, but the injury will only stretch a small squad even further. And few players in the world can replicate Busquets’ role.
Atletico, meanwhile, will take heart from the goal as they try to snatch all three points away from home. Barcelona continue to dominate possession, but Atletico are looking very confident on the break. A win would take them up to 11 points after five games, just two points behind city rivals Real Madrid.