FC Barcelona missed out on the chance to grab pole position on the La Liga table after being held to a 2-2 draw at home by third-placed Atletico Madrid.
With Real Madrid atop the league standings on 71 points, Barca had the opportunity to leapfrog their bitter rivals had they defeated Atletico at the Nou Camp. Instead, their draw leaves them trailing by one point, while Los Blancos still have a game in hand.
The match got off to an eventful start, with the Blaugranes taking the lead after 11 minutes as a result of Diego Costa putting the ball in the back of his own net. From there, the drama unfolded, as Arturo Vidal brought down Carrasco in the box.
While ter Stegen brilliantly saved Costa’s penalty, VAR intervened, with the referee ordering the penalty to be retaken. This time, Saul stepped up to level the scoring.
While the tension between the two sides died down for the remainder of the half, the drama flared up yet again as Atletico’s Felipe brought down Semedo in the box after the half time break. This time, Barca were awarded a penalty, with Messi putting Barca back in the lead.
The fouls kept coming as Semedo tackled Carrasco to give away the third penalty of the game. Saul converted to bring Atletico level with Barca yet again, thereby earning a point for the visiting side.
