Pedri González led the midfield of FC Barcelona in a brilliant first half against Atlético de Madrid (1-2). The Tenerife native opened the scoring in the 30th minute after a great one-two with Gavi, finishing with a cross shot in a one-on-one against Oblak. The goal rewarded the great work of the '8' up to that point, impeccable in his interceptions to enhance Barcelona's high press and infallible with the ball at his feet to give meaning to Barça's play.
For the player from Tegueste, it was his first goal in seven official matches against the 'colchonero' team, which arrived at Montjuïc with the least goals conceded in the tournament (11 goals against in 17 matches). Hansi Flick's team dominated the first half from start to finish against an 'Aleti' that barely crossed into the opponent's half on a handful of occasions, failing to threaten the goal defended by Iñaki Peña. In the second half, the story was very different.
Pedri, very close to surpassing his best season with Barça
Additionally, Pedri reached 4 goals this season in 25 matches. So far, all his goals have been scored in LaLiga, and the most remarkable aspect relates to his scoring average. In the 2023/24 season, the midfielder only scored 4 goals in the entire course (34 matches), in which he also provided 5 assists. With Flick on the bench, the Canary player has returned to his best physical form, a key factor in being able to showcase all his football.
Offensively, the 2022/23 season was the best for the Spanish international wearing the Barça jersey (7 goals and 1 assist in 35 matches). If he continues at his current level, the midfielder is on track for his best season as a culé. Unfortunately, against Atlético, his great performance was not enough to avoid another culé defeat, the third consecutive one at Montjuïc in LaLiga, although he came very close to assisting Raphinha and scoring again against Oblak towards the end.
The Slovenian's interventions were decisive for the 'colchoneros' to take the victory in the last gasp after a lethal counterattack. In total, Pedri completed 63 of 71 passes (81%), with 13 recoveries and 3 successful dribbles out of 5 attempts. He also attempted 3 shots on goal, one of which was off target and another saved by Oblak. In individual duels, he won 6 and lost 8, losing only 4 balls during the 90 minutes.