Barcelona beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 on Saturday at the Riyadh Metropole Stadium, and Robert Lewandowski finished it in the 87th minute. João Cancelo drove down the left, unloaded a powerful shot and forced Juan Musso into a parry; the ball struck Lewandowski's chest and rolled into the net.
The win came in the 30th round of La Liga and lifted Barcelona to 76 points, leaving them top of the table and seven points clear of Real Madrid with eight matches remaining. It was the sort of late break that can decide a title race, and Barcelona found it just as the season tightened around them.
For Cancelo, the goal carried a sharper edge. He had left Al-Hilal for Barcelona on loan during the last winter transfer window, and while he was deciding the match in Spain, his former club was taking a hit back home. Al-Hilal were held to a 2-2 draw by Al-Taawoun at the Kingdom Arena in the 27th round of the Roshen League, leaving them second on 65 points, five behind leaders Al-Nassr with seven matches remaining.
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Simone Inzaghi's side have struggled at right-back since Cancelo's departure, especially after Hamad Al-Yami was injured. Inzaghi used left-back Mutaib Al-Harbi on the right and even sent on young winger Abdulkarim Darci there in the closing minutes against Al-Taawoun, a measure that underlines how thin the options have become.
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Barcelona's late winner moved them closer to the La Liga title, while Al-Hilal's draw made its Saudi Pro League pursuit harder. On one Saturday, Cancelo was part of a decisive finish in Spain and part of a problem that still has not been solved in Riyadh.
