Semi-final first leg: Atlético Madrid 4-0 Barcelona
E Garcia 7og, Griezmann 14, Lookman 33, Alvarez 45+2
You must always have faith, Diego Simeone had said and so it was. A biblical storm blew through the Metropolitano, leaving Barcelona torn to pieces and Atlético Madrid closer to a first Copa del Rey final in 13 years than even he could ever have believed. Forty-five extraordinary minutes gave them a 4-0 lead to take to the second leg at the Camp Nou in three weeks’ time. An own goal from Eric Garcia and three more, from Ademola Lookman, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez before the half-time whistle did the kind of damage that only a miracle can repair now.
Barcelona could not even begin to fix it here in a second half in which they had a goal ruled out after seven long minutes waiting on the VAR not bringing any more goals. They then had Eric Garcia sent off late on. It was a wonder they were still standing at all, given what had hit them from the very start.
The first foul, on 30 seconds, was a fuse lit. Giuliano Simeone flew into Alejandro Balde and his teammates followed, a wild and perfect storm unleashed that Barcelona could not escape. For 45 frantic, breathless minutes in which Hansi Flick’s team didn’t know which way to turn, Atlético Madrid just tore into them, leaving nowhere to hide, no place to take shelter. The best thing that Barcelona could say about the first half was that it did eventually come to an end, at last offered some shelter: up the tunnel and into the dressing room. By then, they had conceded four. And it genuinely, should have been more.
