“Should terminate his contract”, “He should not see football again” - Barcelona fans blame star player after late 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid 

Barcelona fans on X reckon Robert Lewandowski was responsible for their 2-1 LaLiga defeat against Atletico Madrid after his poor performance. The two sides faced off at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday, December 21.

The Blaugrana dominated in the first half and deservedly took the lead in the 30th minute after Pedri slotted home past Jan Oblak. Raphinha's chip struck the woodwork after the break before Rodrigo De Paul scored from 20 yards out in the 60th minute to make it 1-1 against the run of play.

Lewandowski had a golden opportunity to give Barcelona the lead in the 76th minute when Ferran Torres selflessly squared the ball to him. With just Oblak to beat from a very close range, the Pole squandered his shot, allowing the former to save. Atletico Madrid punished the hosts in the sixth minute of stoppage time after Nahuel Molina scored to ensure his side secured all three points.

Lewandowski had a poor outing during his 90 minutes on the pitch. The 36-year-old missed one big chance, lost five duels, and landed just one shot on target from an attempted five.

One fan tweeted:

"They should not Let Lewandowski leave the Pitch. Arrest that old man. He should not see football again"

Another fan posted:

"Lewandowski should terminate his contract tonight if he has any ounce of shame left in him. This is all on him"

Other fans reacted below:

"The fact that Lewandowski will still be our striker next season is hurting my head," one fan commented

"bro was playing against barcelona today," another added

"yeah Lewandowski is the worst footballer on planet earth. it's not even funny anymore," one fan tweeted

"Lewandowski should start learning Arabic. It’s his Saudi time," another chimed in

"So is the Lewandowski that Barca want him to stay for one more season??? This same Lewandowski??" one fan questioned

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"This might be the hardest defeat of the season" - Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi makes honest admission after Atletico Madrid loss

Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi has admitted that their 2-1 loss against Atletico Madrid was the hardest to take. He also lamented how the Blaugrana couldn't get over the line despite being the dominant side for most of the game.

The Blaugrana dominated possession with 63 percent of the ball compared to Atletico's 37 percent. The former also landed 19 shots in total with seven being on target. Despite having an xG of 2.54, they missed six big chances which resulted in Diego Simeone's side springing a late comeback. In comparison, Atletico Madrid landed five shots in total with four being on target (xG of 0.63).

Following the game, Cubarsi said (via @BarcaUniversal):

"This might be the hardest defeat of the season, we were playing a great game but just for some details we lost."

Barcelona have now lost three out of their last five LaLiga games. They no longer have the upper hand in the title race and are second in the table with 38 points from 19 games, three points behind Atletico Madrid, who have a game in hand.