Barcelona head to Manchester United with La Liga virtually tied up, the Champions League now given their undivided attention. There were five minutes left when they finally found a way past Jan Oblak and four left when they found their way past him again, late goals from Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi carrying them 11 points clear of Atlético Madrid with seven games left. The chance of a treble remains, Old Trafford permitting, time now to turn to what Messi called that “lovely trophy”.
Diego Simeone had said Atlético must win to have any chance in the league, and they didn’t. Nor did they draw, although for so long it appeared they could hang on. They will reflect too that it might have been different but for Diego Costa’s red card. Down to 10, Atlético resisted and threatened at times too. But with time slipping away, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Mike Phelan watched from the stands as Suárez bent a brilliant shot in off the post and Messi slipped away, gave the goalkeeper the eyes and rolled in the second.
As Messi leapt, the Camp Nou chanted “campeones”. No one doubts they will be now, even if Ernesto Valverde applied the obligatory caution, insisting: “We haven’t won anything yet.”
Barcelona’s manager had vowed the Manchester trip would not condition their approach and that was borne out: there was no rotation and the start reflected that match’s status as a virtual title decider, the home side close to leading after a quarter of an hour when Messi’s wonderful pass found Jordi Alba zipping in to hit the post. The momentum slowed though and Barcelona were made to wait. They were made to suffer too, Suárez noting: “This shows how hard it is to win the league.”
If Atlético had escaped then, they also attacked. Antoine Griezmann and Costa worked the ball to Santiago Arias, closed down by Philippe Coutinho, before Thomas Partey passed up the opportunity to shoot from a similar position. At the other end, Suárez’s brilliant backheel played in Coutinho, but Oblak produced a superb stop. It was the 100th shot on target he had faced this season and his 81st save. That number kept rising. “He was incredible,” Valverde said.
Life got harder for Atlético with what came next. Costa, who had got away with an early forearm smash on Clément Lenglet, was sent off for insulting the referee, using a Spanish phrase that refers to defecating on his “prostitute mother”. Costa pleaded with Jesús Gil Manzano, but knew there was no pardon and was escorted off by Gerard Piqué. As Costa left, Simeone didn’t even look at him. Afterwards, the Atlético coach said: “I asked the referee at half-time: ‘Was what he said so bad?’ If it was, then the sending off is the right decision.”
Asked what his first thought was after the sending off, Simeone said: “That we have to fix this” – and Atlético largely did. Having 10 men did not leave them entirely at Barcelona’s mercy, even as Messi began to accelerate. The Argentinian ran from the halfway line to supply Suárez, only for Oblak to save. Barely a minute later, Messi was on the run again, his curling effort repelled by the Slovenian, a wall now. Next Messi played a one-two with Coutinho and then Suárez, striking from the edge of the area. Oblak stretched to his left and was up swiftly to stop Malcom’s rebound.
That save, his eighth, was followed by a warning for Barcelona when José María Giménez headed just over the bar and Álvaro Morata’s flick was blocked by Lenglet. But then, at last, Suárez and Messi broke through the wall to the title.