"I wanted to dedicate this victory to Cancelo, who is having a hard time"

Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez dedicated Sunday's 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid to his teammate Joao Cancelo, who "is having a hard time", and remarked that his team will try to "fight for La Liga title".

"I'm very happy. I wanted to dedicate this victory to Cancelo, who is having a hard time. It's for him. I'm very happy for the goals," he told 'DAZN' on the pitch of the Civitas Metropolitano at the end of the game, in which the Portuguese full-back was a last-minute substitute.

His side are eight points behind leaders Real Madrid with 27 to play. "We are believing until the end, we have regained second place and we are going to try to close the gap and fight for La Liga title," explained Fermin, who considered that Barcelona are at their best moment of the season, "in a good dynamic" and hoped to "extend it as long as possible".

Fermin was going to be a substitute. Andreas Christensen's discomfort in the warm-up put him back in the line-up. "I was a bit surprised to find out that I was starting and calm, as I know how, and I have tried to do it on the pitch," he said.

 

March 17, 2024