The Copa del Rey heats up with a semifinal that feels like an early final: at the Metropolitano Stadium, Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid hosts Hansi Flick’s Barcelona for the first leg of the semifinal.
The Colchoneros arrive at this stage after eliminating Deportivo La Coruña and Real Betis, the latter swept aside with a clear 5-0 victory. In the league, they are third but far from the top spot held by the blaugrana, and they see the cup as the most concrete opportunity to give meaning to their season.
Advertisement
Barcelona’s journey has been different: they are flying high in La Liga and have reached the Top 8 in the Champions League, avoiding the playoffs. In the Copa del Rey, the Catalans have overcome Racing, Albacete (who knocked out Real Madrid), and come into the semifinal boasting an extraordinary run: 17 wins in their last 18 official matches.
Last year, also in the semifinals, it ended 5-4 on aggregate for Barça after a thrilling 4-4 in Madrid and a win in the return leg thanks to Ferran Torres. The return leg is scheduled for March 3.
With Real Madrid already eliminated from the other side of the bracket, the clash at the Metropolitano represents a huge opportunity for both teams. The first act took place yesterday with the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, won by the biancazzurri thanks to a goal from Turrientes.
Fermin Hits the Crossbar ⛔ Koundé CLEARS on the LINE 😲
Non-stop excitement in Madrid! In the 20th minute, Olmo delivers directly from a corner to Fermin, who heads the ball onto the crossbar.
Advertisement
Simeone’s Atleti responds immediately: Molina gets the better of Barcelona’s defense and sets up Alvarez, who shoots first time.
Koundé’s intervention on the line is providential, saving at the last moment.
Own Goal 😱 Eric Garcia +Grizou: SHOCK Start for Barça ❌
The clash at the Civitas Metropolitano heats up in just a few minutes: by the 14th minute, Atletico are already 2-0 up.
The deadlock is broken by a sensational own goal from Joan Garcia: the Barcelona goalkeeper lets a back pass from Eric Garcia slip under his foot.
Lookman scores the tap-in, but the ball had already crossed the line.
Just before the quarter-hour mark, the Colchoneros double their lead: Musso launches for Lookman, Koke spreads it right to Simeone, who finds Griezmann making a run into the box. The Frenchman opens up his foot and sends the ball to the far post.
✅ The Official Lineups
ATLÉTICO MADRID (4-4-2): Musso; Molina, Pubil, Hancko, Ruggeri, G. Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman, Griezmann, Alvarez. Coach: Simeone
Advertisement
BARCELONA (4-3-3): Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsì, E. Garcia, Balde, Casado, De Jong, Fermìn, Yamal, Ferran Torres, Olmo. Coach: Flick
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
Read the full article here