Joao Felix scored against his former club to give Barcelona a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid and move the Catalan club closer to the top of the Spanish league standings on Sunday. (More Football News)
Felix, playing on loan from Atletico after falling out with the club last season, scored with a neat shot over goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the 28th minute to give Barcelona the home vi𒀰ctory.
The result put Barcelona back within four points of leaders Giro﷽na an🎃d Real Madrid, which won their matches on Saturday. Madrid beat Granada 2-0 and Girona defeated Valencia 2-1.
Atletico dropped to fourth place, 𝓀three points behind Barcelona in third but with a game in hand.
Felix received a standing ovation when he was substituted by Ferran Torres in the 77th at the Olympic Llꦐuis Companys 💟Stadium.
The Portugal forward got the winner by flicking the ball over Oblak from a tight angle after a passও by Raphinh🤪a.
Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena, replacing the injured Marc-André ter Stegen, made ಌa few good saves toward the end to secure Barcelona's third win in four league matches.
Barcelona was coming off a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano before beating Port🐠o 2-1 to secure its return to the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time after two consecutive group-stage eliminations.
Felix, a former Benfica player, a꧂lso scored against Porto on Tuesday.
Diego Simeone's Atletico ha⭕d won four in a row in all competitions, with two losses — including at Las Palmas — and eight wins in its ﷺlast 10 league matches.
Sevilla Held Again
Sevilla's winless streak in the Spanish ﷺleague reached eight matches after a 1-1 home draw with🌌 Villarreal.
The latest setback came four days after Sevilla w🐷as eliminated in the group stage of the💖 Champions League following a 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven in a match it was winning 2-0 in the second half.
The hosts escaped another defeat on Sunday afꩵter Villarreal's potential winner was disallowed deep into stoppage time. Ben Brereton scored in the seventh minute of added🍌 time but the goal was called back after video review because of a foul by Brereton on Kike Salas.
Salas had put Sevilla ahead in the 75t💯h minute, with José Luis Morales equalizing in the 77th for 12th-place Villarreal.
Sevilla, which hasn't won in the league since a 5-1 rout of last-pl🍨ace Almeria in Septemb🐟er, sits in 15th place.
Almeria Still Winless
Almeria remained the only team without a league win ꦕthis season after a 0-0 home draw against Real Betis, which played with 10 men after Héctor Bellerín was sent off with a straig🥂ht red card in the 27th.
Manuel Pellegrini's Bet⭕is, sitting in seventh place, is unbeaten in 10 straight league matches, with four wins and six draws.
Mallorca Held
Javier Aguirre's Mallo🌞rca, in 16th place, drew 0-0 with 13th-place Alaves to remain winless at home this season, with six draws and one loss.
Alaves is winless in eight road games, with💮 three draws and five losses.
Another Gudelj Scare
Cordoba defender Dragisa Gudelj was in good condition after collapsing in the first half of a third-division game against M🔯elilla on Sunday, eight mon🍰ths after suffering a cardiac arrest during another match.
Cordoba said the 26-year-old Gudelj was doing w🐲ell and undergoing tests in a hospital in Melilla.
In March, a game between Cordoba and Racing Ferrol was abandoned early in the first half after Gudelj collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital in aඣn ambulance.
