Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid Highlights: BAR 4-4 ATM, Copa del Rey semifinal first leg ends in draw

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid Highlights: BAR 4-4 ATM, Copa del Rey semifinal first leg ends in draw

In a see-saw of a game, Sorloth’s injury-time strike sees the match end on level terms after eight goals, four for each side, as the two go into the second leg all level.

Atletico Madrid attacks on the counter and finds the equaliser, this time from super-sub Sorloth, whose strike unleashes an animated Simeone and the visitors are level!

Barcelona survives a late scare after Correa’s shot is saved by Szczesny and Flick’s men continue to march forward, looking to widen the lead yet again.

Atletico’s constant attempt to look for spaces bears fruit. Correa gets a pass from Alvarez and then cuts back for Llorente, who shoots on target to cut the deficit to just one goal.

Atletico Madrid is playing a 4-4-2 a the moment but Barcelona continues to be the team leading possession here and controlling the game. And the home fans roar with every pass by the Catalans.

Lewandowski comes close to doubling his lead seconds later when Raphinha remains on-side and crosses from the left. The Pole receives it but his shot is just off-target.

Yamal beats his marker to enter the box and then crosses to his left for Lewandowski, who taps it in effortlessly to pile on misery on Atletico Madrid. 

Flick decides to bring his most lethal attacker on as Robert Lewandowski replaces Ferran Torres as the No. 9 while Gavi replaces Dani Olmo in the midfield.

In: Angel Correa and Alexander Sorloth , Out: Rodrigo de Paul, Antoine Griezmann

Atletico Madrid attacks on the counter and Rodrigo receives a line-splitting cross from left to right. However, his final cross is intercepted by Balde.

Unlike the first half which had two goals in the first 15 minutes, the second essay has seen a larger defensive approach. 

The resulting corner sees Yamal get the ball eventually and he tries to beat two defenders in the box and goes down appealing for a penalty, in the box. The referee is not interested.

Barcelona continues to stick passes together while De Paul fouls Olmo. Meanwhile, Raphinha latches onto the loose ball and tries a shot, which is blocked by Gimenez.

Action on the other end as Barcelona sends men ahead in numbers. Raphinha delivers a corner kick, which is just missed by Pedri.

Atletico Madrid attacks against the run of play and Griezmann gets the ball into the box. His shot is blocked and Atleti gets a corner kick, which is caught comfortably by Barca’s goalkeeper.

Barcelona is dominating possession as has been the norm so far in this match. Atletico, on the other hand, is looking for mistakes to exploit.

The next half begins as Barcelona looks to widen the lead while Atletico Madrid will hope for a comeback, similar to that of Barcelona in the first essay.

What a brilliant 45 minutes we have had so far in this contest, from a quick-fire goal to a synchronised comeback – this leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal has had everything.

And at the end of it, Barcelona remains marginally ahead with a one-goal lead at the break.

Barcelona’s tale of Remontada has left Simeone visibly devastated as he watches in despair, restless to hear the half-time whistle. Meanwhile, Raphinha has a chat with the teammates, seeming more and more confident with his 18th assists of the season – his 42nd G+A this season.

Barcelona gets a corner and Raphinha takes it. Inigo Martinez gets the cross on the far post, who makes no mistake to beat Musso and find the leading goal.

Barca has pulled off a comeback within 45 minutes and Hansi Flick is back smiling again.

Pedri tries to set up someone in the box but Griezmann tracks back to do his defensive duties and wins the duel, earning an applause from manager Diego Simeone.

Barcelona continues to dominate possession and Hansi Flick looks well at ease at the moment as his boys make frequent forays into the box.

Barcelona goes for attack once again and Torres fails to beat Mussa convincingly yet again. Torres tries to shoot past the goalie but the visitors clear the ball away.

Barcelona looks to have found new spirit after the second goal as the visitors look rattles and the Catalans march forward, trying and testing the final third every second.

This match is proving to be a goalfest. Barcelona attacks through a set-piece, with Yamal floating in a corner and Cubarsi finding the net to make it all square.

Barcelona attacks on the counter with Kounde drawing defenders towards himself and then setting up Pedri to his left, who shoots with his first touch to pull one back for the Catalans.

Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann continue to prowl around the final third and the duo has already inflicted serious blows to the hosts in this game.

Barcelona looks to have wrested control back into the game and Yamal and Pedri combine to find an opening past Atletico Madrid. However, the final shot goes off-target.

Raphinha delivers a quick flick for Torres up front but the Spaniard fails to get the better of Musso in a one-on-one situation and another chance for Barca to score goes begging. Though the goalkeeper has lost the ball, Atletico’s defence clears the ball out of danger.

Barcelona looks rattled by the early strikes as Flick opens his coat in frustration. Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal tries to get a goal back but his attempt ends to nothing.

Atletico has come out all guns blazing and the visitors rattle the hosts with another goal. Simeon’s side attacks against the run of play and Griezmann gets to the end of it. He wins the one-on-one situation and finds the net with ease against his former side.

After Barca gets the ball out of play, off the touch of the goalie, Griezmann takes the corner, which is struck into the net by Alvarez, off a touch from Clement Lenglet.

The first leg of Copa del Rey semifinal begins in Barcelona. Barca starts in its home kit from left to right while Atletico starts from the other end in its away kit of light blue.

Both the teams have arrived at the stadium and so have the fans. It is only a matter of time that the first leg of the Copa del Rey begins in Barcelona.

Barcelona has remained unbeaten in all competitions in 2025. However, its last defeat was to Atletico Madrid in December last year. Atletico, on the other hand, has just one loss this year, to Leganes in La Liga in January. 

Barcelona needs to learn from its La Liga defeat by Atletico Madrid this season and be more clinical in front of goal when it meets again in its Copa del Rey semifinal first leg, manager Hansi Flick said on Monday.

Atletico claimed its first away win at Barca in 18 years with a 2-1 victory in December despite the hosts dominating the opening exchanges and scoring the first goal.

Flick is hoping to have Lamine Yamal available after the 17-year-old winger missed training on Monday due to a knock he picked up in the 2-0 win at Las Palmas on Saturday.

Published on Feb 26, 2025