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Barca fight back against Atletico to stay top in La Liga



Madrid, March 17
Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scored injury-time goals as FC Barcelona came back from two goals down away to Atletico Madrid to win 4-2 and return to the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth looked to have won the game for Atletico, who went into the match a point behind Barca, but once again Diego Simeone's side sat deep to close the game out and ended up paying the price as its rival scored four goals in the last 20 minutes, Xinhua reports.

Alvarez put Atletico ahead on the stroke of halftime after an intelligent assist from Giuliano Simeone, with the goal coming a minute after Robert Lewandowski hit the bar at the other end.

Barca pressed but didn't really make Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak work, and Atletico doubled its lead in the 70th minute when Sorloth, who had just entered the game, swept home Conor Gallagher's cross.

Lewandowski pulled a goal back moments later when he spun and shot past Oblak, and it was 2-2 in the 78th minute when nobody picked up the run of Torres before he headed Raphinha's cross into the net.

Yamal had a stroke of fortune in his goal as it took a deflection off Reinildo to put Barca ahead in the 92nd minute, and Torres netted another goal with the last kick of the game after robbing the ball outside the Atletico area.

Yeray Alvarez scored the only goal of the game with an 84th-minute header as Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 in Sevilla to take an eight-point cushion in fourth place.

Mikel Vesga missed a first-half penalty for the Basque side who had the best chances despite less than 72 hours since its last game.

Real Betis fought back from 2-0 down away to Leganes to win 3-2 and take three vital points as it looks to qualify for Europe next season.

Goals from Dani Raba in the 29th and 44th minutes looked to have set Leganes on the way to a win, but Isco's 64th-minute penalty got Betis back into the match, before goals from Cedric Bakambu and Cucho Hernandez after 78 and 82 minutes turned the match on its head and left Leganes back in the bottom three.

Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad drew 2-2 with Oscar Trejo and Pedro Diaz scoring for the home side, while Martin Zubimendi and Arkaitz Mariezkurrena netted for the visiting team.

Ramon Terrats scored twice as Getafe fought back from Ante Budimir's penalty to win 2-1 away to Osasuna.