Atletico Madrid delivered a breathtaking opening 45 minutes to overwhelm La Liga pace-setters Barcelona in the opening leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, taking full control long before the interval.
The encounter represented a repeat of last season’s semi-final meeting between the sides, when Barcelona progressed and eventually claimed the trophy for a 32nd time. This time, however, the balance of power shifted dramatically.
Diego Simeone’s team played with intensity and precision, punishing every mistake and building a commanding advantage through relentless attacking play.
Barcelona struggled to cope with the tempo, spending much of the first half under sustained pressure as Atletico looked dangerous whenever they moved forward.
Errors punished and goals flow
The breakthrough arrived early and summed up the visitors’ misery. Eric Garcia’s attempted pass back to goalkeeper Joan Garcia slipped under his teammate’s foot and crossed the line, handing Atletico a disastrous gift.
Just minutes later, the hosts struck again. Antoine Griezmann, the tournament’s leading scorer this season, bent a composed finish into the net against his former side to double the advantage.
Barcelona briefly threatened when Fermin Lopez rattled the frame of the goal, but it proved a rare moment of promise amid Atletico’s dominance.
The third goal came on 33 minutes as Giuliano Simeone surged down the right flank, linking with Julian Alvarez before the Argentine lifted the ball across for Ademola Lookman, who fired in his second strike in consecutive appearances.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Alvarez finally ended a two-month, 11-game scoring drought, unleashing a powerful long-range effort that flew past the goalkeeper to complete a stunning half.
VAR drama compounds Barcelona misery
The visitors believed they had reduced the deficit after the interval when Pau Cubarsi finished from close range following a Robert Lewandowski assist, but celebrations were cut short.
Video assistant referee officials launched an unusually lengthy review, lasting eight minutes, before ruling the effort out for offside. During the delay, players were even handed spare balls to stay warm.
That decision matched the longest VAR stoppage previously recorded, set during Bournemouth’s FA Cup fifth-round victory over Wolves last season.
Barcelona’s problems deepened late on when Eric Garcia was dismissed following another VAR intervention, this time for a foul on substitute Alex Baena as he broke clear toward goal.
The heavy defeat leaves Barcelona facing a daunting task ahead of the return leg at home on 3 March, with Atletico holding a commanding advantage.