The Copa Del Rey semis was supposed to be a highly contested match but it turned out to be even more enthralling as the scoreline ended in a 4-4 draw. Many have called this the “Craziest Match Of The Year” and it was all that the fans had wished for.
The match was open-ended in the starting and ending phases of the match but was very cagey in the middle as everyone had expected Atletico to knit a defensive wall around the goal but it was very entertaining to watch the match shift its gears as the time progressed.
This scoreline has ensured a small edge to Atletico and Diego Simeone as they will be hosting Barcelona in the 2nd leg of the tie and the home advantage will be crucial if Atletico go through.
CDR Semi Final Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 1st Leg
The match couldn’t have had a better start as Julian Alvarez (World Cup Winner with Argentina) decided to score in the very first minute from a looping cross over the second bar from Antoine Griezmann.
The tie got even crazier as Griezmann scored another goal in the 5th minute to take a lead of 2 goals at a very early stage. Everyone would have thought Barcelona would be the one attacking but it was Atletico who had started the proceedings.
The early domination of Atletico was soon over as Barcelona took control of the ball after the two early goals and started to knock the football in and around Atletico’s half.
This possession of the ball was rewarded in the 19th minute when Pedri passed the ball into the net from a Jules Kounde cross. Barcelona pressed on the accelerator after that resulting in another goal inside 2 minutes.
The lead was over in 21 minutes as Pau Cubarsi headed in his first goal for Barcelona. The scoreline read 2-2 at 21 minutes which meant it was square again but now Barcelona had momentum to score.
Lamine Yamal who did not train yesterday due to an injury and was a doubt for the game, was the one who caused a lot of trouble from the right hand side. The sorcery of his tekkers was evident on the pitch as he had the Atletico defence sliding and tackling for every dribble.
The match took an evident turn with the goal as Barcelona kept the possession and were attacking with full might and Atletico were sitting deep in search of a counter attack.
The pressure from Barcelona resulted in another goal from a corner but now headed in by the other centre-back, Inigo Martinez.
Yamal and Raphinha continued to rip the Atletico defence apart but clinical finishing was missing upfront. The 4th goal from Barcelona was slotted in from Robert Lewandowski who came from the bench and scored yet another goal.
The game looked finished at 4-2 with Hansi Flick deciding to substitute Pedri and Yamal which proved to be a pivotal point. At 84th minute Atletico scored through Marcos Llorente with a fine finish from the spaniard.
This goal brought the falling energies back up for the Atletico players and Simeone also looked charged on the sidelines. It felt like Atletico had smelt blood and were on the hunt for another goal. This hunt ended with Alexander Sorloth scoring a crucial stoppage time goal which meant the game that was so unexpected and unorthodox finished with a scoreline of 4-4.
This means that it is all to play for in the 2nd leg of the tie that will be played on the 2nd of April at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. The winner will advance into the finals of the Copa Del Rey and will meet the winner of the Real Madrid-Real Sociedad clash.
