Atletico Madrid produced an outstanding first-half display of attacking football as they thrashed La Liga leaders Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Ademola Lookman was among the stars of the night, scoring once and providing an assist as Diego Simeone’s side dominated from start to finish.
A bad night for the visitors also saw them denied a goal back in the second half when, after a record-equalling eight-minute check by the video assistant referee (VAR), Pau Cubarsi’s strike was ruled out for offside.
Atleti’s opener set the tone for what was a disastrous evening for Barcelona as Eric Garcia’s backpass to Joan Garcia rolled under the goalkeeper’s foot and trickled into his own net.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 14th minute when the competition’s top scorer this season, Antoine Griezmann, curled home a fine finish against his former club.
They added a third in the 33rd minute when Giuliano Simeone broke down the right before passing to Julian Alvarez and the former Manchester City forward clipped the ball across to Ademola Lookman, who drove in his second goal in as many games for his new club.
Argentine Alvarez then ended his two-month, 11-match goal drought with an emphatic finish, thumping an unstoppable drive into the back of the net from distance in first-half added time.
More misfortune followed for the visitors, who thought they had a goal back in the second half when Cubarsi prodded in after being set up by Robert Lewandowski.
However, VAR promptly decided to review the incident, with the check lasting so long the goalkeeper’s were thrown footballs to warm up with.
🚨🗞️ | BREAKING: According to COPE, the CTA (referee’s committee) the VAR system was unable to determine the offside due to a “high density of players” in the area. As a result, officials resorted to drawing the offside lines manually to reach the “definitive and correct” decision.
Eventually, it was disallowed for offside and the length of the check equalled the record set by the eight-minute VAR stoppage during Bournemouth’s FA Cup fifth-round win against Wolves last season.
Garcia and Barcelona’s night got even worse when the defender was sent off with five minutes left following a controversial VAR review after he fouled Alex Baena as the substitute burst through towards goal.
The loss has left Barcelona with it all to do when they host the 10-time winners in the return leg on 3 March.
Flick Admits Barcelona Fell Short, Vows Strong Response in Return Leg
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has admitted his side underperformed in the first half of their latest fixture, describing it as a wake-up call but insisting the team will respond strongly in the decisive return leg.
Speaking after the match, Flick did not hold back in his assessment of the opening 45 minutes, saying the team failed to meet its usual standards.
“We didn’t play well in the first half, especially as a team,” Flick said. “Usually, this is not our level. We didn’t play with team spirit, the distances between the players were far too big, and we didn’t press the way we wanted.”
However, Flick framed the setback as a timely lesson rather than a fatal blow to his side’s ambitions.
“In the first 45 minutes we received an important lesson, and sometimes it’s good for that lesson to come at the right time, and perhaps today was that moment,” he said.
The second half, he added, showed a marked improvement in intensity and cohesion.
“In the end, what I want to say is that the second half was much better. We still have another match ahead of us and we will fight in it,” Flick stated.
Looking ahead to the return leg, the Barcelona coach laid out a clear objective, emphasising the importance of approaching the contest in phases.
“We have two halves coming, each 45 minutes, and if we can win each half 2-0, that’s our objective,” he said.
