Barça Atlètic 1-3 Andorra: Defeat at the Johan

Fight until the end. Barça Atlètic has no other choice. After the 3-1 defeat to Andorra at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, they will have to give everything to try to avoid relegation. This setback comes on the heels of a big win in Lugo that had given them a strong ray of hope. But Sergi Milà’s men also needed a positive result against a very solid Andorra side that overturned Guille Fernández’s early goal to take all three points.

Early hope frustrated

Barça Atlètic started the match very brightly, and after three good chances they finally broke through via a beautifully worked team move finished calmly by Guille Fernández.

Their joy was short-lived. Three minutes later Lautaro equalised, meeting Clemente’s cross with a header. Although Astralaga could do nothing to prevent the goal, he did manage three fine saves before he was beaten again from a corner. Diego Alende met the delivery and beat the keeper after the ball had clipped the crossbar. In just seven minutes, Barça had gone from leading to losing.

The first half became a real uphill battle, and Barça Atlètic could have gone further behind had it not been for Astralaga’s heroics.

All over

After the restart Barça tried to respond, but Andorra were set up well. Just ten minutes into the second half, Manu Nieto struck for 3-1, and hopes of a comeback started to fade. Even with substitutions, Barça Atlètic couldn’t mount sustained pressure, and that's how it ended.

Andorra could celebrate. That's a place in the promotion playoffs secured, and maybe even direct promotion as division champions.

But the result leaves Barça Atlétic in big trouble. They are third from bottom, currently among the five teams that would drop to the category below, and their last two games are both away from home (at Bilbao Athletic and Nàstic Tarragona, two sides that are currently chasing promotion). But to make matters worse, although there are currently three points between themselves and salvation, most of their direct rivals have yet to play their fixture this weekend, so the situation could potentially get a lot worse.

Even if Barça Atlétic win their last two matches, it might not be enough.

MATCH STATS

BARÇA ATLÈTIC, 1
ANDORRA, 3

Barça Atlètic: Astralaga; Landry (Trilli, Min 65), Alexis Olmedo, Cuenca (Sergi Domínguez, Min 74), Jofre Torents; Aleix Garrido, Toni Fernández, Guille (Rubén López, Min 65); Jan Virgili, Cedric (Godoy, Min 80) y Dacosta (Pedro Soma, Min 74).

Andorra: Ratti; Clemente, Bombardó, Diego Allende (Morgado, Min 82), Marti Vilà (Iván Rodríguez, Min 62); Molina, Álvaro Martín, Dani Villahermosa (Luismi, Min 82); Manu Nieto, Lautaro y Josep Cerdà (Juanda, Min 73).

Goals: 1-0, Guille Fernández (Min 16); 1-1, Lautaro de León (Min 19); 1-2, Diego Alende (Min 23); 1-3, Manu Nieto (Min 64).