Barcelona came from behind to beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 at the Metropolitano on Sunday, with Fermín López scoring twice to restore the champions’ three-point lead at the top of La Liga.

Giuliano Simeone had fired Atlético ahead inside 10 minutes, but López levelled on the stroke of half-time and completed his brace in the 66th minute, finishing a perfectly weighted through ball from Lamine Yamal. The win takes Barcelona to 33 points from 12 matches heading into the international break.

The match was played at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, and the defeat was Atlético’s first in La Liga since 5 September. López was later named man of the match for his two-goal contribution to the comeback.

Atlético strike first

Atlético made the stronger start in a high-octane opening. Julián Álvarez wasted a sixth-minute chance against goalkeeper Joan García, Marc Pubill hit the crossbar and Pedri struck the post at the other end.

The hosts took the lead in the 10th minute when Álvarez sent in a cross that Simeone converted from close range. There was a sombre moment shortly after the goal, when play paused for a minute in honour of the late Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel. Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí later admitted the champions had started poorly. “In the first half we came out a bit disconnected,” he said. “They had a great first half, but at half-time we were able to fix the things we weren’t doing well and we took the victory.”

López turns the game around

López dragged Barcelona level in the 45th minute with a superb left-footed strike, shifting the momentum in the visitors’ favour before the break.

The second goal arrived in the 66th minute. Yamal threaded a pass through the Atlético defence and López finished calmly past Jan Oblak to complete his brace, his seventh league goal in 11 appearances this season.

The result was Barcelona’s 11th victory from 12 top-flight outings this term, with their only domestic setback the home El Clásico defeat. It also made it six successive away league wins, achieved for only the third time in the club’s history.

Title race picture

Barcelona sit three points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who had moved level on Saturday by beating Valencia 3-0. Atlético remain third, five points behind the leaders, after suffering their first league defeat since 5 September.

For Hansi Flick’s side, it was a major examination passed on the road, and they now head into the November international break holding a cushion at the summit.