Barcelona forced to settle for second spot after draw with Atalanta

Barcelona missed out on finishing top of the new-look Champions League group phase after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Atalanta.

Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo were not enough for Barca to climb above Liverpool, with the visitors twice pegging them back through Ederson and Mario Pasalic.

A point meant Atalanta narrowly missed out on a place in the top eight.

Barcelona were warned they were in for a tough night when Davide Zappacosta drilled in a low cross, with goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny having to make a fine block to prevent Alejandro Balde bundling the ball into his own net.

In a pedestrian first half from the hosts, Yamal came closest to finding the net with an ambitious attempt from long range which flew narrowly wide.

Atalanta thought they had taken the lead after 35 minutes when Zappacosta stroked the ball home, but a VAR review showed the former Chelsea defender was millimetres offside when he received the ball.

Barca threatened again in first-half stoppage time with Raphinha taking aim from the edge of the box, but his low effort was held by Marco Carnesecchi.

At the start of the second half Marten de Roon got another sight of goal for Atalanta but cut across his shot and fired wide.

Moments later Barca were ahead following a sweeping move from one end of the field to the other.

Raphinha was sent galloping down the left and with one touch he sprayed the ball into the penalty area.

Yamal was able to round Carnesecchi and then hold off defender Sead Kolasinac before rolling the ball into an empty net.

Atalanta almost hit back immediately when Pasalic wriggled clear but his shot was tipped wide at full stretch by Szczesny.

Robert Lewandowski should have doubled Barca’s lead but could not get his feet right in front of goal and Atalanta smuggled the ball away.

Instead the Italians equalised when Brazilian Ederson brilliantly shuffled the ball from his left foot to his right to skip around Gavi on the edge of the box and bury his shot past Szczesny.

However, Araujo put Barca back in front in the 72nd minute when he escaped his marker at a corner and stooped to head home at the far post.

Yet the lead lasted just seven minutes as Pasalic collected a cross from De Roon and slipped the ball through the legs of Szczesny.

Barca almost snatched the win in stoppage time but Ferran Torres was denied by a fine save from Carnesecchi.