João Félix scored the only goal in Barcelona’s 1-0 win against his parent club Atlético Madrid on Sunday. He expressed relief and celebrated the goal.
After scoring in the 28th minute, João Félix celebrated by standing on the advertising hoardings at the Olympic Stadium, with his arms raised in front of the Atlético supporters.
The Portugal forward joined Barça on a loan for one season from Atletico. He said the celebration was related to difficult moments before finalizing the move.
“It was spontaneous,” he told Movistar after the game. “At the end of the day, you’re in the heat of the game and it was almost [a feeling of] relief for everything I went through in the summer.
“Only those closest to me, my family mainly, know what I went through. This was for them; I felt relieved for them, too.”
The lead-up to the game was filled with arguments between Félix and some of his ex-teammates.
He said they want to play more attacking football and they accused him of being inconsistent, but he tried to downplay any conflicts.
“I get on well with them,” he added. “They know it has nothing to do with them. I have nothing against them. I hope things go well for them, just not against us.
“Every week there is talk about me, for good or for bad. I focus on my job, without looking at what people say or think. I am working to improve and be a better player.”
His goal against Atlético was the only one of the game. This goal comes just four days after his winner against FC Porto in the Champions League.
It was his fifth goal of the season for Barça and secured a crucial victory for the Blaugrana. This win moved them ahead of Atlético in the standings, now four points behind joint leaders Real Madrid and Girona.
“Once again he made the difference for the team,” Barça coach Xavi Hernández said in a news conference after the game.
“He worked hard, won a lot of balls back, was really good positionally and he has a good understanding with [João] Cancelo on that [left] flank.
“I am delighted for him. He’s happy and is making the difference in games, which is fantastic for him. It was an intelligent performance because sometimes when you are so motivated can cross a line.”
Félix expressed his desire that Barcelona signs him permanently to ESPN.
“That is more a question for the sporting director than me,” Xavi said of the chances of a deal happening. “But I am very happy with him. He is working hard, performing well and is a great kid in the dressing room. I am delighted to have him in the team.”
Barcelona will feel they deserved to win because of their strong performance in the first half. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Félix all missed chances in an exciting start to the game.
Raphinha hit the post in the second half and Lewandowski missed a shot after a good solo run. Xavi felt that his team should have won by a larger margin.
“The team was excellent today,” Xavi added. “It’s a game we should have won by more. I am very satisfied and happy with how we played. It was a complete performance with the exception of the last five minutes.
“Atlético pressed us in the second half, but we have seen our most complete performance of the season. It’s a sign that we grow when the big games come around. We have to demand that we always plays like this.
“It has been an important week. We have peace of mind in Champions League after progressing [to the last 16] and have now won against a direct title rival playing really well.”
Atlético had a slow start but ended the match in Montjuic strongly. Memphis Depay’s free kick was saved by Iñaki Peña, who was replacing the injured Marc-André ter Stegen, and Ángel Correa had a shot at the goalkeeper towards the end.
“It was a game of two halves,” Atlético coach Diego Simeone said. “In the first half, Barça were better. Despite that, we still had the moment with [Nahuel] Molina and another chance.
“In the second half, the [three substitutions we made at the break] changed the dynamic of the game. I thought we did enough to score.
“Their goalkeeper, above all the save from the Memphis, was amazing. It is a shame that in the spell when we were better, creating four chances, we were not as clinical as they were in the first half.”
Atlético have dropped to fourth place after their defeat. However, if they win their postponed match at home against Sevilla later this month, they can join Barcelona in fourth place, four points behind Madrid and Girona.
Barça will play against Girona next Sunday.
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