Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta: Entertaining draw condemns Serie A side to play-off round – Soccer News

Atalanta missed out on an automatic place in the Champions League last 16 as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Barcelona on Wednesday.

Last season’s Europa League winners, who were missing Ademola Lookman through injury, ultimately needed a victory away from home due to results elsewhere in the final round of league-phase matches.

Atalanta slipped out of the top eight despite twice coming from behind to earn a point against a Barca side who were already sure of advancing and finished second in the table.

Lamine Yamal gave the Blaugrana the lead two minutes after half-time, before Ederson equalised for Atalanta with a stunning effort from the edge of the box.

Ronald Araujo restored Barca’s advantage with a header from a corner, but Atalanta were level again when Mario Pasalic nutmegged Wojciech Szczesny with a low strike.

There was to be no late twist, though, and the Serie A side will instead enter the play-off round as the top seeds in ninth place.

Barça to face one of the following teams in the @ChampionsLeague last 16: pic.twitter.com/eh5meCckLS

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 29, 2025

Data debrief: Raphinha continues astonishing season

It was always going to be a tough ask for Atalanta to outscore Barcelona, whose 28 goals in the Champions League this season are the most of any side. Only in 2011-12 (30) have Barca netted more through their first eight games of a campaign.

Raphinha has been involved in 12 of those 28 goals, having followed up his goalscoring heroics at Benfica the previous week with a pair of assists for Yamal and Araujo.

Only Lionel Messi and Luis Figo have ever been involved in more Barca goals in a Champions League campaign, albeit Messi did so on six occasions.