The FC Barcelona lost their third consecutive home defeat in La Liga, and this one might be the cruelest of all. In what was an unthinkable encounter, they exhibited exquisite football from start to end, while Atlético appeared to be merely a shadow of the team that had been hailed building up to Saturday’s meeting.

After Barça’s 1-2 loss to Atletico Madrid at home on Saturday, manager Hansi Flick chose to address the media despite being suspended for the final game of his two-game suspension. Although the blaugrana coach acknowledged that he was “very disappointed” by the team’s loss in the 2024 championship game, he insisted that his squad “played brilliantly, especially in the first half,” and that such performances would bring them victory.

A 6-2 triumph in Costa Adeje Tenerife marks the end of an incredible 2024. Although the hosts rallied from a two-goal deficit, the Catalans ultimately proved too strong and advanced to the Copa de la Reina quarterfinals.

The agreement with the American sports equipment business Nike was approved by the delegate members of FC Barcelona’s Extraordinary General Assembly on Saturday morning. There were 419 votes in favor, 27 against, and 22 abstentions.

“This might be the hardest defeat of the season; we were playing a great match, but we lost because of a few details,” the central defense bemoaned before the Christmas break after dropping three points and the top spot in the 2024 season finale.

Pedri González’s outstanding effort versus Atlético did not translate into a victory. The Canarian led the blaugrana team for the entire ninety minutes, scored his fourth goal of the season, and was named MVP. He could have done more to help the team win, but his efforts went unrewarded.

There was more competition in the second half. They had plenty of opportunities, but we were lucky to make a decision. After the game, Simeone remarked, “The team had the patience to capitalize on a great counterattack and score a magnificent goal.”