Lopez double helps Barcelona beat Atletico to extend La Liga lead

Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of La Liga on Monday as Fermin Lopez scored twice to lead them to a 2-1 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium. The win took Barcelona three points clear of second placed Real Madrid, who beat Valencia 3-0 on Saturday.

Atletico remain third, five points behind the leaders. Giuliano Simeone gave Atletico an early lead, but Lopez equalised before half time and struck again in the second half to secure all three points.

The victory also gave Barcelona some revenge after Atletico knocked them out of both the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season. The match began at a high pace, with both teams creating chances inside the opening minutes.

Julian Alvarez almost put Atletico ahead after getting past Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia. But the visitors' defence stopped him from scoring.

Marc Pubill then headed against the crossbar from the resulting corner. Barcelona responded through Pedri, who struck the woodwork after receiving a pass from Lamine Yamal.

Atletico finally broke the deadlock in the 10th minute. Alvarez delivered a cross into the box and Giuliano Simeone finished from close range.

The hosts continued to threaten Barcelona's defence. Alvarez came close to adding a second goal, but Garcia recovered after initially failing to hold his shot.

At the other end, Yamal fired into the side netting from a difficult angle. Barcelona struggled to create clear chances for much of the first half.

But Lopez brought them level shortly before the break. The midfielder initially found his path blocked near the penalty area.