Barcelona Edge Past Atletico Madrid to Close La Liga Gap
Memphis Depay's Free Kick Fires Blaugrana to Victory
Real Madrid Can Move Top with Win on Sunday
Barcelona moved within two points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Camp Nou on Saturday. Ousmane Dembélé's clinical finish in the second half proved decisive, as the hosts defended resolutely to secure all three points.
Memphis Depay came agonisingly close to equalizing for Barcelona in the first half with a free kick that sailed just over the crossbar. Despite their dominance in possession, the Blaugrana struggled to create clear-cut chances, while Atletico remained dangerous on the counterattack.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 56th minute when Dembélé collected a pass from Sergio Busquets and unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom corner. Barcelona held on for the remainder of the match, with goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen making several crucial saves to deny the visitors.
The victory moves Barcelona into third place in the La Liga standings, three points behind Atletico and just one point behind second-placed Real Madrid. Real can leapfrog Atletico into top spot with a win over Osasuna on Sunday.
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