Copa del Rey semi-final: Atletico Madrid beat defending champions Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg

Atletico Madrid tore Barcelona apart with four first-half goals to secure a 4-0 win in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday, leaving the defending champions staring at a near-impossible task in the second leg.

Diego Simeone’s side needed just 45 minutes at home to seize control of the tie, capitalizing on a disastrous early mistake before carving Hansi Flick’s team open at will to move to the brink of April’s final in Seville.

Atletico took the lead in extraordinary fashion in the sixth minute. Barcelona defender Eric Garcia rolled back a routine pass, but goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was already scanning the pitch, allowed the ball to slip under his boot and towards goal. His desperate dive came too late because he had overstepped the mark.

Eight minutes later, the team doubled its lead with a flowing move.

Ademola ⁠Lookman collected a long ball on the left and fed Julian Alvarez, who switched play for Nahuel Molina. The right-back slid a clever pass in for Antoine Griezmann, who controlled smoothly and guided the ball into the bottom corner.

The third goal, in the 33rd minute, was again a counter. Giuliano Simeone drove to the right and crossed low to Alvarez, who squared for an unmarked Lookman to fire into the bottom corner.

Flick responded by sending on Robert Lewandowski for Marc Casado in the 37th minute. Lihat juga hgtgdfgdtr10. The change did little to turn the tide.

Instead, Atletico struck again before halftime. Lookman and Alvarez combined again, with the Englishman sliding a pass into the center for the Argentine to unleash a strike into the top corner from just inside the penalty area.

Barcelona dominated possession with 70 percent in the first half, but it was Atletico’s clinical transitions that did the damage.

Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso denied Fermin Lopez early in the second half as Barca looked for a lifeline ahead of the March 3 second leg at Camp Nou.

It thought it had one in the 52nd minute when Pau Cubarsi curled in a rebound from a free-kick, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR review lasting almost six minutes.

Atletico remained dangerous and almost added a fifth late on. Substitute Alex Baena raced through unmarked in the 86th minute when Garcia brought him down from behind. The referee initially produced a yellow card, but improved it to a straight red after consulting the pitch monitor.

«It was crazy. And even more so against Barcelona,» said defender Marcos Llorente MovistarPlus.

«The team did everything well. We stayed together at the back, we didn’t sit back, we pressed high on the pitch, we distributed the space very well. Everything went as we wanted.»

The winner of the tie will face Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao in the final. Real Sociedad have a 1-0 lead ahead of the second leg in San Sebastian on March 4.

Published on February 13, 2026