Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of La Liga on Sunday after coming from behind to defeat Atletico Madrid 2-1 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, extending their advantage over their rivals in a crucial title showdown.

Fermin Lopez was the match-winner, scoring twice as Hansi Flick’s side overturned an early deficit to secure three valuable points against Diego Simeone’s team.

The victory lifted Barcelona to 33 points after 12 matches, moving them three points clear of Real Madrid and five ahead of Atletico, who had been breathing down their necks before the encounter.

Atletico made an aggressive start and took the lead in the 10th minute when Giuliano Simeone finished from close range after being set up by Julian Alvarez.

The hosts had threatened earlier, with Marc Pubill striking the crossbar in the sixth minute, while Barcelona also came close when Pedri hit the woodwork two minutes later.

Barcelona gradually settled into the contest and began creating opportunities through Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Fermin.

Yamal missed a promising opportunity from inside the six-yard box in the 33rd minute, while Fermin also had an effort blocked as the visitors pressed for an equaliser.

Their persistence paid off in the 45th minute when Fermin capitalised on a loose ball inside the penalty area and fired past Jan Oblak to restore parity before the interval.

The visitors maintained their attacking pressure after the restart, with Pedri and Fermin testing Atletico’s defensive organisation.

Their breakthrough came in the 66th minute when Yamal produced an excellent pass into the penalty area for Fermin, who finished with a low shot to complete his brace and put Barcelona ahead.

Atletico attempted to respond through substitutions, introducing Alexander Sorloth, Johnny Cardoso and Jonathan David as Simeone sought to rescue something from the encounter.

Julian Alvarez also tried to inspire a late comeback, but Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia remained alert, particularly when he came off his line in the 87th minute to clear a dangerous ball.

Atletico’s frustration increased as Marcos Llorente and Marc Pubill received late yellow cards, while Barcelona held firm through the closing stages.

Raphinha nearly added a third in stoppage time with a direct free-kick that sailed narrowly over the crossbar, but Barcelona had done enough to secure the victory.

Barcelona entered the encounter in impressive domestic form after opening their campaign with nine consecutive league victories, all by at least two goals.

They had also demonstrated their attacking strength with 46 goals in their first 11 league matches, an extraordinary return that placed them among the most prolific sides in the competition’s history at that stage of a season.

Their preparations for Sunday’s showdown had been boosted by a 6-1 league victory over Alaves and a 3-0 Champions League win over Aston Villa.

Atletico, however, were equally formidable opponents on domestic form, having won their previous seven league matches, including a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid.

Simeone’s team had also possessed the best defensive record in the division before Sunday’s encounter, conceding only eight goals in their opening 11 matches.

The defeat therefore ended an impressive domestic winning run and dealt a setback to their ambitions of challenging Barcelona and Real Madrid for the championship.