In a dramatic first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona was held to a thrilling 4-4 draw by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Atletico Madrid took an early two-goal lead but saw it slip away as Barcelona fought back in a high-energy encounter.
Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann scored for the visitors within the first six minutes, setting the tone for a fast-paced match.
Barcelona responded with a stellar performance, led by Pedri Gonzalez, who scored one of their goals. Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Robert Lewandowski also found the net, putting Barcelona in control for much of the match.
However, Atletico refused to back down. Marcos Llorente pulled one back for the visitors before Alexander Sorloth’s dramatic equalizer in the 93rd minute left the tie finely poised ahead of the return leg at the Metropolitano stadium on April 2.
Barcelona’s head coach, Hansi Flick, opted to leave top scorer Lewandowski out of the starting lineup, with Ferran Torres filling in at the false nine position.
Despite a tough fixture schedule, Atletico’s Diego Simeone fielded a strong team, knowing this would be the first of three encounters with Barcelona, as well as a looming Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
Atletico struck early, with Alvarez capitalizing on a cross from Griezmann to score within the first minute.
They doubled their lead just minutes later when Jules Kounde’s error allowed Alvarez to assist Griezmann, whose shot was saved by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny but still found its way into the net.
Barcelona, however, quickly found their rhythm.
Ferran Torres missed a clear opportunity after being set up by Raphinha, but soon after, Barcelona struck back with two goals in as many minutes.
Kounde’s assist allowed Pedri to score before Cubarsi headed home from a corner to level the score.
Despite more chances, including a miss from Torres who failed to convert after rounding Atletico keeper Juan Musso, Barcelona continued to dominate possession.
Atletico’s Griezmann was denied by Szczesny at the start of the second half, but Barca pressed on, with young winger Lamine Yamal setting up Lewandowski for a tap-in to give the Catalan side a 4-2 advantage.
Atletico fought hard to level the game.
Llorente’s 84th-minute strike from outside the box reignited their hopes before Sorloth, who had already scored a dramatic late goal for Atletico in December’s La Liga encounter, netted again in the dying moments of the game.
He finished from Samuel Lino’s cut-back to ensure a 4-4 draw.
The tie now hangs in the balance ahead of the second leg in Madrid.
