Jugando, ganando, peleas como el mejor,
Porque siempre la afición,
Se estremece con pasión
As the decades-old club anthem of Atlético Madrid says: “Play, win, and fight like the best, because the fans show the greatest passion.” Last night, those words felt more real than usual.
Atleti hosted FC Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi final. After the draw I managed to get a ticket behind the goal and was excited for what promised to be a great night. It was also my the first time seeing Barça live, something I had really looked forward to that moment before coming to Spain.
Atlético have not won the cup since 2013 and this season they are clearly targeting that trophy. For coach Diego Simeone it is a season under pressure as well because his last title dates back to 2021. The Catalans won the previous edition after a spectacular 3 2 victory against Real Madrid CF in the final.
Normally I do not do this but this time I did not want to miss a single moment so I entered the stadium 45 minutes before kickoff. During the warm up I stood just a few meters away from players like Frenkie de Jong, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal. Normally you can expect more big names but the visitors travelled to Madrid with a long injury list. Players such as Raphinha and Pedri were not fit.
When the teams walked onto the pitch the Himno Atlético de Madrid was sung a cappella. On nights like this it sounds even louder. The fans clearly wanted to show they were standing behind their team as the twelfth man.
The players started the game at very high intension. After only a few minutes Giuliano Simeone already had a great chance but his shot was saved by Joan García.
Moments later that same García went from hero to zero when he let a simple pass from Eric García slip under his foot. The goalkeeper tried to recover but could not prevent the mistake. A very rare error considering his recent form and it gave the hosts the lead. Mistake or not, the hosts were leading 1-0.
Atlético are often known for their defensive style but against Barça they did not hold back. They took full advantage of the visitors’ extremely high defensive line which created a huge number of chances.
Barcelona had most of the possession but looked vulnerable on the counterattack. On the right Nahuel Molina found Antoine Griezmann whose left footed finish gave Simeone’s side a two goal lead within fifteen minutes. Vintage Griezmann scoring a beautiful goal against his former club.
Barça then hit the woodwork through Fermín López while Julián Álvarez saw his effort cleared off the line by Jules Koundé. Atlético kept pushing forward and made it three when Ademola Lookman finished a sharp counterattack. What a transfer Lookman has been for Atlético so far.
Deep into stoppage time another quick attack down Barça’s right found Álvarez who smashed the ball in from the edge of the box for his first goal since early December. Everything Los Colchoneros touched seemed to turn into gold.
Nobody in the stadium could believe it but Atlético were leading 4:0 against FC Barcelona. It was the first time since the famous 8:2 defeat against FC Bayern Munich that Barça conceded four goals before halftime. It quickly became clear to me that I was witnessing history.
For Barcelona the mission in the second half was clear. Score as many goals as possible before the return leg because every goal could make the difference.
The visitors came out, as expected, only attacking. Fermín López quickly tested cup goalkeeper Juan Musso but the Argentine saved the long range effort.
In the 52nd minute it looked like the comeback had started. After a free kick the ball fell to Pau Cubarsí who calmly pushed it past Musso. Then the VAR stepped in. The match was stopped for eight long minutes to check a possible offside.
To make matters worse for the Catalans the goal was eventually disallowed. The long delay frustrated the visitors who had just started to find their rhythm again. Hansi Flick couldn’t believe what was happening to his team.Hansi Flik couldn’t believe what was happening to his team.
Things became even worse for the visitors when they were reduced to ten men. After Eric García brought down Álex Baena the referee Juan Martínez Munuera first showed a yellow card. But once again VAR intervened and the yellow was transformed to a red.
Both teams still had chances near the end. Substitute Alexander Sørloth almost made the score even bigger but was stopped by a strong challenge from Koundé. At the other end Ferran Torres came close for Barcelona but his header went just wide.
The match ended with the same score as at halftime. An incredible result that hardly anyone expected. It was also the first time ever that Atlético beat Barça in the Copa del Rey. A legendary night at the Metropolitano Stadium and perhaps the most memorable one since its opening in 2017.
Barcelona will need a miracle to reach the final. Many fans will immediately think of the famous 6:1 comeback against PSG. They will need a night like that again, although I personally expect Atlético to defend the way only they can in the return leg at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Will Barça pull off a miracle or will Simeone qualify for his first Copa del Rey final since 2013? We will find out on 3 March.