Copa del Rey: Atletico Madrid Claim Decisive Victory Over Barcelona In First-leg Tie

 

Atletico Madrid delivered a thrilling performance, ousting Barcelona out of the Spanish Copa del Rey in a 4-0 win, giving the hosts a first-leg tie advantage. 

Atletico ended their winless run through the previous four games against Barcelona in all competitions and edged them to stand a chance to reach the Copa del Rey final. In their previous game, they won against Real Betis with a resounding 5-0 victory in the quarterfinals. 

The hosts quickly established control in the first half, scoring all four goals with an injury-time goal from Julian Alvarez. Joan Garcia's goalkeeping error caused an own goal in the 7th minute when he missed clearing Eric Garcia's back pass. 

Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead seven minutes later, following a fast break, leading to Molina opening up the right wing, releasing a pass to Griezmann, who curled the ball into the right corner. Ademola Lookman scored the third by finishing off Alvarez's cross from inside the 18-yard box. 

Barcelona's defense was devastated, struggling to hold off repeated counterattacks from Atletico. Late into the first half, Lookman darted into the box and cutback a pass to Alvarez, who slotted the ball into the net. 

Atletico held their ground in the second half to seal the victory. They will travel to Nou Camp, where they will face Barcelona in the second-set tie. 

Overview 

Barce;pna had a difficult day at Atletico, who is getting their money's worth from Lookman. His influence on the game greatly impacted the side to win. Atletico found the pace needed to open up Barcelona's defense and was vulnerable. He was involved either directly or indirectly in the goals scored after Joan Garcia's own goal/. Barcelona missed a couple of near chances; having possession was not enough for them.