Barcelona Held to Thrilling 4-4 Draw Against Atletico Madrid in Copa del Rey Semi-Final First Leg
Barcelona played out a dramatic 4-4 draw against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday evening at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. With everything still to play for, the decisive second leg will take place at the Metropolitano in April, where Atletico will have the slight advantage of playing in front of their home crowd.
According to El Nacional, German coach Hansi Flick was furious with Barcelona’s performance, particularly with three players he held responsible for the disappointing result.
- Ferran Torres: The Spanish forward missed two clear chances in the first half, including a golden opportunity in front of an empty net.
- Jules Koundé: The French defender struggled defensively, failing to contain Atletico’s counterattacks and making costly errors that contributed to the opposition’s comeback.
- Gavi: Introduced as a substitute, the young midfielder failed to provide stability, leading to Barcelona losing control of the midfield. Marcos Llorente took advantage of this lapse to score Atletico’s third goal.
In response, Flick has reportedly decided to drop Ferran Torres from the starting lineup for the remainder of the season due to his poor performance. Additionally, he admitted that substituting Pedri and Raphinha late in the second half was a mistake, as it allowed Atletico to turn the game around.
Meanwhile, Barcelona president Joan Laporta was seen entering the locker room in a state of anger following the result. He is said to have blamed Flick for his substitution decisions and has requested that Marc Casadó be reinstated in the starting XI at Gavi’s expense.
With tensions running high, all eyes are now on the second leg, where Barcelona will need to deliver a stronger performance to secure a place in the Copa del Rey final.
