Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid: Barca, Atletico trade two-goal comebacks to draw in epic Copa del Rey first leg.

Read Time:1 Minute, 50 Second

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played out a captivating 4-4 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday night. The match, held at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, lived up to its billing to be a thrilling encounter which saw both teams create numerous scoring opportunities.

Atletico made a blistering start, with Julian Alvarez scoring in the opening minute, followed by Antoine Griezmann’s strike against his former club just six minutes later. Griezmann’s goal – an absolute quality, seemed to have given Atletico a commanding lead. Not long afterwards, Barcelona’s young talents, Pedri and Pau Cubarsi, quickly turned the tide with a pair of goals that leveled the scoreline by the 21st minute.

Some beauties that showed the technical prowess of Barcelona’s La Masia academy graduates, who have been instrumental in the team’s resurgence under Hansi Flick. Inigo Martinez, this season’s surprise hero in Barcelona’s defense, put the hosts ahead just before halftime, capping off an entertaining first half.

The second half was tense but relatively quiet until the final 20 minutes, when Robert Lewandowski added a fourth goal for Barcelona. Lewandowski’s strike seemed to have sealed the win for the hosts, but Marcos Llorente pulled one back for Atletico in the 84th minute, setting up a dramatic finale. Alexander Sorloth then equalized in the 93rd minute, securing a valuable away result for Atletico and setting up a thrilling second leg.

The draw sure was a fair reflection of the match, which saw both teams create several scoring opportunities. Barcelona will take little joy from this one considering the circumstances it ended. Hansi Flick’s youthful side indeed showed character and demonstrated their technical prowess and versatility, scoring from set pieces and intricate play.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone, however, will be disappointed with his team’s defensive lapses, particularly at corners. Despite this, Los Rojiblancos showed their ability to break down Barcelona’s defense and will be confident of reaching the final with the support of their home crowd in the second leg. The tie is finely poised, and the second leg promises to be an equally thrilling encounter, with Real Madrid and Real Sociedad set to lock horns in the second semi final tomorrow.