A goal by Ousmane Dembele at minute 90 saved Barcelona from defeat and frustrated Atletico Madrid with a last-minute draw after the home team was feeling it had victory in the bag, thanks to Diego Costa's goal earlier in a game almost totally lacking in offense.

The game on Saturday night was very measured in terms of tactics, with all risks avoided, but also with the intensity demanded of a fight for first place in La Liga, reports Efe news.

With care being taken, there was a remarkable lack of shots at goal. No one assumed that responsibility. Neither Atletico nor Barcelona. Not Griezmann or Diego Costa or Lemar for Atletico, not Messi or Luis Suarez for Barca. Not one player had a shot at goal in the first half and almost all of the second.

The match was waiting for some detail, an individual effort, a show of talent.

Finally a perfect corner kick by Griezmann was headed home by Diego Costa with a determination that no one had shown up to then, and at minute 78, Atletico was on the scoreboard, 1-0.

Had the game ended that way, Barcelona could have dropped several places in La Liga, but at minute 90, Dembele took a deft assist from Messi and finished it to end the game with a 1-1 draw and hold onto first place in La Liga.

--IANS

kk/sed

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