Fermin Lopez Shines as Barcelona Beat Atletico Madrid to Extend La Liga Lead

Barcelona edges Atletico to extend La Liga lead to three points. AFP-THOMAS COEX Fermin Lopez struck twice to help Barcelona come from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 and move three points clear at the top of La Liga.

The Spanish champions lead second place Real Madrid, who beat Valencia 3-0 on Saturday, with Atletico third, now five points behind. Giuliano Simeone fired Atletico ahead in a high-octane start, before Lopez pulled Barca level shortly before the interval at the Metropolitano stadium.

The 23-year-old Spain international netted the winner after 66 minutes when Lamine Yamal slipped him in, helped Barca triumph despute not being at their best. "Coming off last season, when they beat us.

we knew what they were going to offer -- a very difficult game," Lopez told Movistar. "It got tricky for us in the first half with their goal, but I think we knew how to come back and we had a great match.

Atletico captain Koke said his team would not let the defeat, their first in La Liga since September 5, upset them. I think the team had a really great first half.

We had chances to kill off the game and we didn't take, them," said Koke. "That's football -- it's about being clinical, and they were more clinical than we were.

But there's nothing to criticise the team for, we have to keep going like this because there's still a long way to go in La Liga." The match started at a fast pace and both teams hit the woodwork in the opening stages. Alvarez, who tried and failed to force a move from Atletico to Barca in the summer, rounded goalkeeper Joan Garcia but could not finish off the chance as the defence blocked his route to goal.

From the resulting corner Atletico defender Marc Pubill headed against the crossbar with Garcia beaten. At the other end Pedri crashed a strike against the woodwork after being fed by Barca's teenage star Lamine Yamal.

Atletico took the lead in the 10th minute, slicing Barca's defence open.