Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could not be separated in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie, as they played out a sensational 4-4 draw at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Montjuic.
It was a dream start for the visitors as they took the lead inside the opening 60 seconds. Antoine Griezmann’s cross was flicked on by on-loan Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet, and at the back post, Julian Alvarez volleyed into the back of the net for an early advantage.
Things would get even better for Atleti as they went 2-0 ahead only five minutes later. Alvarez did well to win the ball back inside his own half before driving forward and finding Griezmann, who showed composure to beat Wojciech Szczesny in the 1-on-1.
Barcelona were shocked at that point, although they managed to regroup soon after, and this led to two quick-fire goals. It went 1-2 when Jules Kounde cut the ball back to Pedri to slam home from 12 yards, and less than a minute later, the equaliser arrived for the Catalans as Pau Cubarsi scored his first goal for the club from a Raphinha corner.
Just before the interval, Barcelona completed a sensational first half comeback. The third goal once again came from a Raphinha corner, and on this occasion, it was the unmarked Inigo Martinez that headed home at the back post.
It took until the 74th minute for a sixth goal to arrive, and it went to Barcelona. Lamine Yamal did brilliantly to fashion a chance for substitute Robert Lewandowski who could not miss from close range. However, Atleti weren’t done either, and they made it 4-3 not long after as Marcos Llorente blasted home from the edge of the box.
Sensationally, Atleti equalised in the dying minutes – and like in the La Liga meeting in December, it was Alexander Sorloth that found the back of the net to spark jubilant scenes in the away dugout.
Atletico Madrid will certainly be the happier of the two teams with this result, especially in the circumstances. Barcelona will be furious to have thrown away a two-goal lead late on, and they must now win at the Metropolitano in five weeks’ time.
