FC Barcelona manager Luis Enrique hailed the winning attitude of his side as they came back from being 1-0 down to snatch away all 3 points against a determined Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.
Fernando Torres gave Atletico the lead in the 51st minute after racing on to a Tiago through ball before coolly slotting it in to the bottom left corner past Marc Andre ter Stegen. Barcelonaa s response was almost immediate as Neymar curled in a majestic free kick past Atleti goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the 55th minute to level the scores.
Lionel Messi came off the bench to grab the winner for the Catalans in the 77th minute as he dinked the ball into the net after neat interplay with Luis Suarez.
With the win against Atletico, FC Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the season with 3 wins out of 3 games.
Enrique Praises Barcelona Comeback
In his post match press conference, Luis Enrique heaped endless praise upon his players for their comeback win over Atletico.
a Both teams wanted the win, no doubt,a said Enrique.
a We played at a very high level from the start and were very consistent. That a team like Atletico made so few chances showed we were very focused.
a We dominated the defensive and attacking aspects of the game and even turned it around when things seemed to be going against us.
“I enjoyed every minute of my teama s performance.
a Ia m very happy as it was important to earn three points against a direct rival, but a lot remains to be done.a
Luis Enrique: “It is of great merit that a team like Atl tico created so few chances against us” #FCBlive #AtletiFCB . pic.twitter.com/uLNXfxzbBv
a FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 12, 2015
Messi Benched Due To Fatigue
Enrique revealed the reason for not starting Lionel Messi was to give him sufficient rest after his International travels. Messi was away on international duty with Argentina for the past couple of weeks. He scored a brilliant late equalizer for La Albiceleste against Mexico on Tuesday and only returned to Catalonia a couple of days later. Messi missed training on Friday as he was celebrating the birth of his second son Mateo.
a I had a chance to speak to him [Messi]. Leoa s important to us and his status is key so he can play as many minutes as possible.
a However, we also understand that he came into the match on the back of long-distance travelling.
a So ita s better for us not to risk him, with the intention of bringing him on if we needed to and him proving decisive like always.
a Ita s important to have a big squad with so many options.a