Hansi Flick's rejuvenated Barcelona played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Tuesday night.
Given that both La Blaugrana and Los Rojiblancos won 5-0 in their respective quarter-finals against Valencia and Getafe to reach this stage, and that both came into the midweek showdown with lengthy unbeaten streaks to uphold, the tie was finely poised ahead of kick off.
Diego Simeone's side made a blistering start when Julian Alvarez scored in the opening minute before veteran forward Antoine Griezmann netted against his former club with just six minutes on the clock.
However, the magic of La Masia was on display once again when academy graduates Pedri and Pau Cubarsi delivered a quickfire double of their own to level the scoreline by the 21st minute, and this season's unlikely hero in the backline, Inigo Martinez, put the hosts in front just before half time.
The second period was tense but comparatively quiet until the final 20 minutes of the match, when Robert Lewandowski added a fourth for Barca before Marcos Llorente pulled one back for the visitors on the 84-minute mark.
Even more drama was to come when Alexander Sorloth found a 93rd-minute equaliser for Atleti, who will be delighted to go into early April's second leg on even terms despite having given up their early lead.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
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Considering that Barcelona are on top of the tree in La Liga, into the round of 16 in the Champions League and are going strong in the Copa del Rey semi-final, it would be fair to say that their season is truly back on track after their blip towards the end of 2024.
Flick's youthful side showed not only their technical prowess but also great character to come from behind so early on on Tuesday night, and the fact that they were able to score from set pieces as well as intricate play is a real sign of a team that has all the tools to win against any type of opposition.
That being said, Barca did surrender their own lead late on, and seeing out results may be something for the youngsters to work on going forward.
On the other hand, Atletico boss Simeone will be disappointed with the way that his players gave away their two-goal advantage almost immediately, and El Cholo will be particularly annoyed with the sloppy defending his team displayed at corners.
However, Los Rojiblancos managed to find their way back into the game despite even falling two behind themselves, and having proven capable of breaking La Blaugrana down, they will be confident of getting to the final, especially with their home crowd behind them in the second leg.
BARCELONA VS. ATLETICO MADRID HIGHLIGHTS
1st min: Barcelona 0-1 Atletico Madrid (Julian Alvarez)
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Atletico take the lead after only 46 seconds!
Griezmann plays a short corner on the right-hand side and receives the ball back before swinging an excellent cross into the box that is met in the air by Clement Lenglet, who heads the ball towards the back post, where Julian Alvarez pounces and taps the ball into the back of the net.
6th min: Barcelona 0-2 Atletico Madrid (Antoine Griezmann)
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A sloppy pass from Barcelona's Jules Kounde is intercepted by Alvarez, who dribbles into the opposition half and sends Griezmann through on goal with a fantastic defence-splitting ball.
The Frenchman chops back onto his weaker right foot and fires beyond Wojciech Szczesny, who fails to stop the visitors from doubling their lead despite getting a hand on the shot.
19th min: Barcelona 1-2 Atletico Madrid (Pedri)
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Kounde makes up for his error and Barca are back in it!
The right-back combines with Raphinha, who plays the ball to him on the right-hand side of Atleti's box, where he looks up and picks out the unmarked Pedri, who easily slots home from near the penalty spot.
21st min: Barcelona 2-2 Atletico Madrid (Pau Cubarsi)
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The hosts are level already with a quickfire double!
With an in-swinging corner from the right-hand side, Barca's star-man, Raphinha picks out young centre-back, Pau Cubarsi at the back post, where he gets the better of Pablo Barrios and heads home to cancel out Simeone's side's early lead.
41st min: Barcelona 3-2 Atletico Madrid (Inigo Martinez)
Some more poor defending from Madrid allows Inigo Martinez to slip away from his marker at the back post, and Raphinha fires in another inch-perfect corner from the right-hand side for the veteran centre-back to head past Juan Musso.
74th min: Barcelona 4-2 Atletico Madrid (Robert Lewandowski)
Pedri plays the ball to Lamine Yamal on the right-hand side of the box, and his excellent dribbling earns him the space near the byline to pick out substitute striker Robert Lewandowski, who slots the ball into an empty net from three yards out.
84th min: Barcelona 4-3 Atletico Madrid (Marcos Llorente)
Julian Alvarez slides a ball through to Angel Correa on the left-hand side of Barca's box, and the substitute cuts a pass back to the edge of the area, where Marcos Llorente makes a run and powerfully drives a shot into the right-hand side of the net - game on!
93rd min: Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid (Alexander Sorloth)
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And Sorloth completes the comeback!
Flick's trademark high line is breached by a long ball from the back, and Samuel Lino is able to play the ball comfortably across the box for the substitute striker to fire home a simple equaliser to finish off this remarkable game!
MAN OF THE MATCH - JULIAN ALVAREZ
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Alvarez remained a constant threat throughout the match, having opened the scoring in the first minute, registered an assist for Griezmann's goal and contributed to his side's late comeback.
The versatile Argentine has long been lauded for his all-round game, and his fingerprints were all over Tuesday night's eight-goal thriller.
BARCELONA VS. ATLETICO MADRID MATCH STATS
Possession: Barcelona 68%-32% Atletico Madrid
Shots: Barcelona 16-10 Atletico Madrid
Shots on target: Barcelona 9-7 Atletico Madrid
Corners: Barcelona 8-3 Atletico Madrid
Fouls: Barcelona 12-10 Atletico Madrid
BEST STATS
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) February 25, 2025
Alexander Sørloth's last three goals against Barcelona:
⏱️ 90+9 (Barcelona 3–5 Villarreal, 27 Jan 2024)
⏱️ 90+6 (Barcelona 1–2 Atlético, 21 Dec 2024)
⏱️ 90+3 (Barcelona 4–4 Atlético, 25 Feb 2025) 🆕
Now THAT is an injury-time specialist! 🤯#BarcaAtleti pic.twitter.com/vLdWG4Nuj4
🇪🇸 | A Copa del Rey spectacle!
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) February 25, 2025
• Shots (on target): 16 (9) – 10 (7)
• Big chances: 7 – 4
• Touches in pen. area: 44 – 21
• Possession: 68% – 32%
This is the first time we saw eight goals in a meeting between Barcelona and Atlético since March 1997 — and it's only the first... pic.twitter.com/7CMMFmg3xL
WHAT NEXT?
Next time out, Barcelona will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the La Liga table when they host Real Sociedad on March 2, while Atletico will welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Metropolitano Stadium on March 1.
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