Raphinha Again Plays An Important Role For Barcelona, Atletico Madrid Becomes A Victim

JAKARTA - Raphinha praised Barcelona's important victory over Atletico Madrid with a score of 3-1 at Camp Nou on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, early morning WIB.

According to him, the victory that got was very decisive in the fight for the 2025/2026 LaLiga title. The three additional points cost Barcelona four points ahead at the top of the standings over closest competitors as well as rivals, Real Madrid.

Alex Baena surprised the hosts for putting Atletico Madrid ahead in the 19th minute. However, Raphinha, who has appeared as his second starter since returning from injury for two months, equalized seven minutes later, outwitting Jan Oblak after receiving a pass from Pedri.

Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty before the break, but the striker did not lose face when Dani Olmo scored just after an hour of the game. Meanwhile, Ferran Torres ensured victory in injury time.

"I think our confidence is increasing from game to game. We know it's a big game at LaLiga."

"This kind of victory can determine the fight for the title. If we continue to take points from game to game, things will look much better," said Raphinha.

Raphinha's return has added to Barcelona's energy, which previously lacked when the Brazilian was injured. Meanwhile, Pedri, who has appeared as his first starter since October 2025, has also added to control in midfield.

In fact, Atlatico Madrid's manager, Diego Simeone, also praised Raphinha. He said he did not believe the forward had yet to win the biggest individual award for his performance under Hansi Flick.

"I like it. He does everything. He plays on the wing, as a full-back, in the middle, he scores goals, he presses."

"I don't know how he failed to win the Ballon d'Or," said Simeone.

Meanwhile, Barcelona manager Flick is also delighted to be able to return to relying on Raphinha after seeing his team win their sixth straight win since losing to Real Madrid at the end of October 2025.

"Rapha is a very important player for us. While he is on the pitch, he raises levels of dynamics and intensity. Everyone is affected by it."

"You can see it on the pitch. The positive things he gave us today are extraordinary and very important."

"As a team, I think this is one of the best games of the season. I appreciate what I saw for 90 minutes. I think these three points are also important."

"That is the next step. We are returning to our best level. We are improving a lot of things we need and it is very fun to see," Flick said in a press conference after the game.

Raphinha and Pedri had to be pulled out in the 70th minute, but Flick revealed that it was caused by fatigue. On the other hand, Olmo also had to leave in the 67th minute and was likely to miss long enough after suffering a shoulder injury when he scored Barcelona's second goal.

The Spaniard will undergo further tests on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, to determine the severity of his injury.

After Raphinha and Pedri left, Barcelona played a three-fielder formation, Eric Garcia, Marc Casada, and Dro Fernandez for the remaining time as Atletico Madrid tried hard to equalize.

Substitutes Thiago Almada and Antoine Griezmann have both squandered a golden opportunity to equalize before Torres' last-minute goal gave Atletico Madrid their first defeat since losing to Espanyol in the season opener.

"I liked the team's performance today. So, I'm fine. The players gave everything. I liked their attitude at the end of the game, played without fear and looked for an equalizer."

"We competed well throughout the game. We started with determination, pressed well, scored goals, then they created danger with gastric baits in the defensive line."

"We talked about it during the first half. They played better early in the second half, creating more chances than us."

"However, we had three good chances to equalize which we failed to take advantage of. In the end, with the third goal, I don't think the 1-3 score reflects the game well," said Simeone.