Atletico Madrid have become the first club to reach the semi-finals of the 2024-25 Copa del Rey, having defeated Getafe 5-0 at the Metropolitano to continue their impressive form of the last few months.
Diego Simeone opted not to go as strong as possible for the match, aside from cup goalkeeper Juan Musso stepping in for Jan Oblak. This paid dividends in the early stages as Atleti raced into a two-goal lead after 17 minutes.
The opener came from Giuliano Simeone, who has been a revelation for his father’s side this season. Javi Galan, who was a doubt for the match, delivered a cross from the left that was headed back across goal by the winger, leaving Getafe ‘keeper Jiri Letacek with no chance. He would then score his and Atleti’s second of the evening soon after being played in by fellow Argentine Rodrigo De Paul.
It would get even better for Atleti just before half time as they got their third. It came from Samuel Lino, who showed patience before cutting inside and curling the ball into the far corner of Getafe’s goal after being set up by Julian Alvarez.
Simeone brought off the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Alvarez and Giuliano in the second half with the tie practically over, and it was the substitutes that combined for the final two goals of the evening. First, Conor Gallagher played in Angel Correa to make it 4-0, before the Argentine turned provider for Alexander Sorloth to score once again when coming off the bench.
In the end, Atletico Madrid were far too strong for Getafe. It is now 19 wins in their last 21 matches across all competitions, and understandably, they will fancy themselves as leading candidates to win the Copa del Rey, which is a trophy that they have not won since the 2012-13 season. They now look forward to the semi-finals, but first, they take on a depleted Real Madrid in a massive La Liga showdown.
