Barcelona Held by Atalanta, Miss Chance to Top Champions League Group

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Barcelona missed the opportunity to finish top of their Champions League group after being held to a 2-2 draw by Atalanta. Despite taking the lead twice in the second half, Barcelona were pegged back on both occasions, ultimately settling for a point.

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Barcelona shortly after half-time, but Ederson’s superb strike brought Atalanta level. Ronald Araujo then restored Barcelona’s lead with a diving header, but Mario Pasalic ensured a share of the spoils with a close-range finish.

The draw sees Barcelona finish second in their group, two points behind Liverpool, who suffered a surprise defeat to PSV Eindhoven. Atalanta, meanwhile, drop to ninth place and will now face either Sporting or Club Brugge in the play-off round.

Barcelona will be disappointed to have missed out on top spot, especially after Liverpool’s defeat opened the door for them to claim first place. However, their inability to hold onto their lead proved costly, with Atalanta’s resilience and attacking threat ensuring a share of the spoils.

Atalanta’s draw, coupled with victories for Lille and Aston Villa, sees them drop into the play-off round.5 They will face a tricky two-legged tie against either Sporting or Club Brugge, with the second leg taking place in Italy.

The draw for the Champions League play-off round will take place on Friday, 31 January at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Barcelona, meanwhile, will bypass the play-offs and advance directly to the last 16 of the competition.


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