Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Both teams finish with 10 players as Torres, Savic grapple on field (WATCH)
It was an off-the-ball incident that escalated and both players were on the ground in no time as the referee had to interfere.
New Delhi: While FC Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid in an away clash in La Liga, the match witnessed an unusual incident that led to red cards for players from both teams. During the extra time, Barcelona’s Ferran Torres and Atletico’s Stefan Savic were involved in a rugby-like tackle on the field and the referee had to send both players off.
In the 90+2nd minute, Savic tried to pass the ball while he held Torres by his arm and hair. In reply, Torres retaliated and it led to an ugly tussle between the two. It was an off-the-ball incident that escalated and both players were on the ground in no time as the referee had to interfere. Following this incident, both teams had to play for the rest six minutes and finish with 10 players each.
The gloves are off!! ?
Ferran Torres and Stefan Savic are both sent off for this little scrap… ?#AtletiBarça pic.twitter.com/Po8DLGLnT0
— LaLigaTV (@LaLigaTV) January 8, 2023
Barca won the game 1-0 as Ousmane Dembele scored in the absence of star forward Robert Lewandowski. Pedri did well to cross the mid-field and passed the ball to Gavi, whose assist led Dembele to score at the bottom corner. Madrid appealed for a foul, but the referee gave the goal to Barca, which was also the only goal of the game.
After the red card incident, Atletico tried to equalise but missed two chances, including a free kick. Griezmann showed his class and his saves were crucial in Barca’s win. Though Atletico dominated the second half, they were not able to equalise.
With this victory, Barcelona stands at the top of the La Liga table and with 41 points from 16 games, the club is three points ahead of their rivals Real Madrid.