Barcelona’s late spark: Cancelo shimmers as Lewandowski seals 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid

Barcelona edge Atletico Madrid as Cancelo shines

Barcelona's Portuguese right-back Joao Cancelo, now with the Catalan club, put his former Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi in an awkward spot.

Cancelo helped Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a match staged at the Riyadh stadium, as La Liga's 30th round unfolded.

Cancelo played a starring role in the winning goal by Robert Lewandowski in the 87th minute.

The Portuguese’s dazzling dribble on the left was followed by a powerful shot saved by Juan Musso, rebounding to Lewandowski's chest and into the net.

This victory pushes Barcelona closer to the Spanish title, lifting them to 76 points and widening their lead over Real Madrid to seven, with eight games remaining.

Meanwhile, about an hour earlier, Al Hilal were held to a 2-2 draw by Al Taawoun at the Kingdom Arena in the 27th round of the Saudi Pro League.

The draw leaves Hilal second on 65 points, five behind leaders Al Nassr, with seven games to go.

Hilal have struggled at right-back since Cancelo's loan to Barcelona in January, especially after Hamad Al-Yami's injury.

Inzaghi was forced to rely on left-back Muteb Al-Harbi as a makeshift right-back in the late stages, before bringing on winger Abdulkarim Darssi as a right-back in the final minutes, neither delivering the attacking spark hoped for.

Read also: A wild scenario could crown Al Nassr league champions ahead of Hilal.

Punchline 1: If football had a sense of humor, Cancelo just parked a highlight reel on the Riyadh night—call it the art of the sideways sprint with a twist.

Punchline 2: And if defending were a magic show, that right-back cameo would win Best Supporting Block every season.