It was 95 minutes into the battle, which was intended to be a fight for the title, and the final seconds ticked away when a man who almost looks like a Nordic warrior delivered the decisive blow. Atlético Madrid had suffered, they had fought back, and in truth they had probably been waiting for the final whistle when Alex Sørloth suddenly scored another late winner. In doing so, he sent Atlético Madrid to the top of the table at Christmas and sprinted their coaches, supervisors and substitutes onto the pitch.

The Barcelona fans, meanwhile, turned around and headed straight for the exit, unable to believe what had just happened. What had happened was this: On a night when they had more than enough chances to win, even deep into stoppage time, when goalkeeper Jan Oblak had been the best player on the pitch with Pedri, they had somehow been beaten . It’s the first time they’ve fallen victim to a Diego Simeone-led Atlético side and it hurt.

For Atlético it was now a liberation, perhaps even the call of fate. Oblak called it the perfect night. How quickly it had changed, how unexpectedly. How important, and not just here, but throughout the season.

Since the end of October, the lives of both teams had changed, and with it the league. Barcelona had endured what Hansi Flick described as a “shitty November” but were then also beaten in December, at home to relegation-threatened Leganes. In six games they had picked up just five points out of a possible eighteen, a title they appeared to be losing after the Clásico was seemingly lost in record time; Atlético, meanwhile, had won 11 times in a row, six out of six in La Liga. After trailing by ten points, they were level with one game left.

After all, it would be a fight for the league. “It’s a crucial moment and we will be ready,” Flick had said and his players seemed determined to prove him right, even in the absence of Lamine Yamal. They hadn’t won any of the four games he’d missed and this had to be different. A few days off were intended to “clear your head,” he said. Here they flew into Atlético and showed an intensity in everything they did that hadn’t been seen recently. Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha led the attack, the latter repeatedly delivering balls. Behind them, Pedri played at his own pace, fast and slow at the same time, as if he was able to let the storm in and let it roll past him at the same time.

It felt fitting that he should open the scoring just before the half hour mark. He started from the left, slid inside, played the ball to Gavi and continued running. Gavi’s return to him would have been a great first touchdown on the turn if he meant it, but it’s more likely that it was a fluke. Anyway, Pedri was the first to see it – Pedri was the first to see it all – and burst into the box as Marcos Llorente and Clement Lenglet tried but failed to close the doors, and directed the shot past Oblak and into the bottom corner.

This was more like the Barcelona of the big night, the team that beat Madrid and Bayern, not the one that lost to Leganés and Las Palmas. Conor Gallagher had to step in twice to stop Raphinha, blocking a shot after two minutes and stopping his run just before goal. However, Raphinha later took revenge on Gallagher with a nutmeg.

José María Giménez and Lenglet were also often involved, barely keeping Barcelona close to goal but unable to get out on their own. Robert Lewandowski headed over, Gavi headed wide and a lovely pass from Pedri seemed to have released Raphinha, but Lenglet was there again. And Oblak fended off Inigo Martínez’s powerful shot. Although Atlético came close to sending runners out on a few occasions, it was all about resistance until, just before half-time, Gallagher and Javi Galan set up for Julián Álvarez, who sprinted in and shot from close range distance just over the goal.

The second half brought more of a second wave than a reaction, and Pedri controlled the tide. He played to Fermin in the first minute, but Oblak saved with his foot and blocked a great pass that eliminated Raphinha. The Brazilian lifted the ball over the goalkeeper, but the ball bounced off the crossbar.

On the touchline, Simeone prepared his first substitution, which usually occurs when games change, but not like this. More substitutes have scored for Atlético than any other team. This time the threat alone was enough. Koke and Nahuel Molina stood there waiting to be introduced when Atlético equalized out of nowhere. Rodrigo De Paul, likely a candidate for withdrawal, sent Álvarez scurrying down the left behind the defense. His curled ball was blocked by Marc Casado, which only served to side-foot it into the corner from De Paul.

The result was different, but the game still wasn’t what Simeone wanted. The feeling of danger was even greater since Giménez had been sent off. Barcelona should have taken the lead when Raphinha crossed to Ferran Torres, who passed the ball to Lewandowski. Alone, barely three meters away, he somehow failed to hit the ball properly. A moment later, Atlético could say the same when Álvarez set up Pablo Barrios, a wonderful chance that was parried by Inaki Pena. A goal seemed likely: no one had scored more goals in the last fifteen minutes than these two, 13 for Atlético, 12 for Barcelona.

The question was perhaps who would get there first. The top of the table awaited anyone who did. Barcelona were the better choice and certainly more determined to get the winner. Dani Olmo worked the space for a shot that went just wide and then, with five minutes left, Raphinha was suddenly free in space and the Olympic Stadium stood up. Oblak then somehow saved, and again a moment later when Pedri came in and deftly controlled Olmo’s ball through the foothills. It certainly was. But Oblak was there again. On the touchline Marcus Sorg, Barcelona’s assistant coach, skipped like Yosemite Sam, unable to comprehend this.

What followed was even more unbelievable: the room suddenly opened and Sørloth was there to put an end to it all.