LaLiga leaders Barcelona fight back to beat Atletico 3-1

BARCELONA, Spain, Dec 2 : Barcelona recovered to secure a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid as goals from Raphinha, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres handed the visitors their first LaLiga defeat since August and extended the champions' lead at the top after an intense clash on Tuesday.

The result puts Barca on 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who visit Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.

Atletico, arriving at Camp Nou on a seven-game winning run in all competitions, remain in fourth place with 31 points.

Atletico struck first in the 19th minute through Alex Baena on the counter but Raphinha equalised seven minutes later with a close-range strike after a killer through-pass from Pedri.

Barca's persistence paid off as Dani Olmo pounced on a loose ball inside the box and fired a low strike to score in the 65th minute and Torres wrapped up the points by finishing off another counter-attack deep in added time.

"It's important to believe in the work. We know there are matches like this and we have to be prepared for them. That's the spirit we need to have," Raphinha told Movistar Plus.

"We are gaining confidence match by match. Today, yes, it was crucial. Points like these can decide a league title."

The match was the first marquee fixture to be held at the partially renovated Camp Nou since it reopened last month following two and a half years of redevelopment.

However, the reduced capacity of 45,401 seats - far below the anticipated 105,000 upon completion - made for a below-par atmosphere for such a high-stakes contest.

It was Atletico who broke the deadlock in the 19th minute. Exploiting Barcelona's high defensive line, Nahuel Molina launched a precise long pass that sent Baena racing past Gerard Martin and he showed