João Félix killed off Atlético Madrid, and he could not have enjoyed it any more, extracting revenge on the club that still owns him and to which he hopes never to return. The Portuguese, on loan at Barcelona, scored the only goal as they defeated Atlético at Montjuic, securing a vital victory that came laced with vindication, then he produced a celebration that showed just what it meant to him. Leaping on to the advertising board, he stood arms wide. So now what?
For now, he wins. It may be only one match but it was a grudge match and it had gone his way, all the tension taken out on the pitch. If he was unpopular back at Atlético – and the evidence from Montjuic suggests very strongly that he was – he will be even less popular now. Here in Catalonia, on this night, they embraced him like never before, and no wonder. This was a big win for a team under pressure, a release for all of them. When he departed with 15 minutes to go, he walked past Diego Simeone without a look but inside it was surely different. Then he embraced his coach, Xavi, and applauded the crowds who stood to hand him an ovation.
