The way João Félix destroyed Atlético Madrid made him happy beyond words. He got even with the club that still owned him and wants him to never come back. The Portuguese player, who was on loan at Barcelona, scored the only goal in their 1-0 win over Atlético at Montjuic. It was an important win that made him feel good, and his reaction showed how much it meant to him. He jumped up on the advertising board and stood with his arms open wide. What should I do now?

He wins for now. While it was only one game, it was a grudge match, and he won. All the stress was taken out on the field. He was not liked at Atlético, and there is strong proof from Montjuic that he was not liked there. He will be even less liked now. On this night in Catalonia, they hugged him like they had never done before, which makes sense. A big win for a team that was under a lot of stress. It felt good for everyone. With 15 minutes to go, he left and walked right by Diego Simeone without even looking. But inside, things were very different. Then he gave a big hug to his teacher, Xavi, and thanked the crowds who stood up to cheer him on.

It was his night. Before the game, Félix had been the most talked-about person. Even though it was a match between competitors (third against fourth), it had become all about him. People fought with words, fired verbal shots, and sent messages that weren’t really hidden. Griezmann said that the 24-year-old wasn’t consistent enough at Atlético over the course of his four years there, while Simeone said that anyone can have a good game. Xavi saw that as a jab and said it should be used as motivation.

Oh, yes it did. Plus, even if it was just one game, it was a good one, giving it a real edge. Whatever happened to him in Madrid, it’s still making people angry. It gives fire. When they met, it wasn’t like old friends getting back together; it was more like enemies meeting with the chance to settle their differences. For the Portuguese, making his point was fun, even if it meant hurting other people. People didn’t want him to go back before, and they don’t want him to go back now even less.

After 30 minutes, he had one of his best plays when he snuck behind the Atlético defense, stepped away from José María Giménez, and cleverly lifted the ball over Jan Oblak. Jules Koundé and Raphinha drove at Atlético to find him, which was a great move. The first shot he took against Atlético was the one that scored. He had never scored against Real Madrid or Barcelona. If he had to pick one, this would have been it. It was his first league goal in nine games.

It had been thirty minutes, and Barcelona was ahead. It shouldn’t have taken that long. They had a great start; in the first 15 minutes, they made four chances. Raphinha got the first one in the first 60 seconds, and not long after that, he had another headed effort go wide. That being said, Robert Lewandowski was the one most to blame, which is a disturbing trend these days. Two shots, one a drive that went wide and the other a header that hit him in the face and hurt both his pride and his nose.

And on the other end, Marcos Llorente almost scored, but Frenkie de Jong stopped him just in time, giving Griezmann another chance. Again, it was De Jong, who was great the whole time, who saved them by jumping in to block. Atlético had the ball in the net from the corner kick, but the whistle had already gone off. Giménez was standing over Félix and hitting him. It happened again, and it would happen again.

The Portuguese player got up again, and just before halftime, he might have had a second. Mario Hermoso caught his ankle while taking a shot, but Oblak made a great save. He didn’t like what he saw, so during the break he made three changes. They had César Azpilicueta with them. He was only out for two minutes before he was booked for tackling Félix. They fought again, and Simeone said Félix had dived. The forward came up to him and said something back. It wasn’t “Hey boss, great to see you again.”

He liked it more than they did, and he was getting right under their skin as Barcelona kept winning, with Pedri getting stronger and Raphinha soon hitting the post. Atlético, on the other hand, went ahead almost right away. Álvaro Morata, Llorente, and Lino set up Griezmann for a shot that went wide of the post. Soon after, Llorente sent in a quick, low ball that gave Morata a clear chance inside the six-yard box, but Iñaki Peña made the save. Atlético were still alive.

It’s possible that they would have tied the game when Peña made an amazing save on Memphis Depay’s free kick, the ball going back off his hand and hitting the post and bar. After that, Barcelona got another one right away. This time, Griezmann took it and hit the wall. Atlético should have scored in the last second, but Ángel Correa shot straight at Peña from close range when he was through on goal.

That night’s other ex, Griezmann, played his old team and knew he wasn’t going to win. Anyone can have a good game. Maybe, but Félix did it this time.