FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played out a thrilling 4-4 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal at Montjuïc, featuring a dramatic back-and-forth scoring spree that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Atletico took the lead just 50 seconds into the match when Antoine Griezmann’s corner was flicked on for Julián Álvarez, who calmly slotted the ball home at the far post. Álvarez then turned provider in the eighth minute, slipping the ball to Griezmann, who capitalized on Barcelona’s high defensive line to turn inside and score with his right foot.
The only fans making noise at Montjuïc were wearing Atletico shirts, but Barca should have been back in the game soon after, only for Ferran Torres to fail to beat Juan Musso in Atletico’s goal, reports Xinhua.
However, Barcelona soon found their rhythm as Pedri gave them a lifeline in the 19th minute, neatly finishing after brilliant work from Lamine Yamal and Jules Koundé. Just a minute later, Pau Cubarsí outjumped Pablo Barrios to nod in from a corner and level the match.
Ferran missed another opportunity, but Íñigo Martínez then put Barcelona ahead by sneaking in unmarked to finish off another inswinging corner that Atletico failed to clear.
Atletico responded in the second half, looking to regain momentum, but in the 74th minute, Robert Lewandowski tapped in after a superb setup from Yamal, seemingly putting Barca in control.
Ángel Correa gave Atletico more spark in attack, and with seven minutes left, he pulled the ball back for Marcos Llorente, who ran onto it and fired a powerful shot that took a slight deflection.
With two minutes remaining, the game was briefly halted as two children invaded the pitch. Soon afterward, Alexander Sørloth made it 4-4 following excellent work from Samuel Lino. Atletico’s substitutions proved effective, though Barcelona will be frustrated at losing concentration so late in the game.
