Atletico hammered but hold off Barca to reach Copa del Rey final

BARCELONA: Atletico Madrid struggled through a 3-0 Copa del Rey semifinal second leg defeat at Barcelona on Tuesday but scraped into the final 4-3 on aggregate. The Spanish champions almost produced a comeback for the ages after their 4-0 first leg defeat in early February, but fell just short at Camp Nou. Youngster Marc Bernal netted twice for the record 32-time winners and Raphinha scored a penalty as Barcelona tried in vain to claw back Diego Simeone’s side’s lead. Atletico, who clung on desperately in the final stages, returned to the final for the first time since 2013.