MADRID (AP) — Playing without Robert Lewandowski wasn’t so bad for Barcelona after all.
Barcelona overcame the absence of their top striker to win 1-0 at Atlético Madrid and open a three-point lead over rival Real Madrid in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Madrid had lost 2-1 at Villarreal for their second league loss of the season. Atlético dropped to fifth place, seeing their gap to the lead reach 14 points.
“We made a statement,” Barcelona coach Xavi said. “We showed that we are true title candidates.”
Ousmane Dembélé scored in the first half and Barcelona held on for its first league win of the year. Dembélé scored with a low shot from close range after a set up by Gavi Páez in the 22nd minute.
Barcelona were without Lewandowski, the league’s leading scorer with 13 goals, because the Poland striker began serving a three-game suspension from before the World Cup break. He had faced Espanyol late last year after the suspension was temporarily lifted, but they got reinstated this week to keep him from playing.