Barcelona and Atletico Madrid delivered a game-of-the-season contender on Tuesday, as the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final ended in an exhilarating 4-4 draw.
Atletico made a dream start, with Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann both finding the net within the first six minutes. The two forwards exchanged assists, and the atmosphere inside the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys grew tense as fans feared a heavy defeat.
However, Barcelona responded quickly, leveling the score within 15 minutes. Pedri pulled one back before Pau Cubarsi headed in from a Raphinha corner to bring the game back to even terms, allowing both teams a moment to regroup.
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Just before halftime, Barcelona completed a dramatic turnaround. Another Raphinha corner found Inigo Martinez, whose header completed the comeback, giving Hansi Flick’s side a 3-2 lead heading into the break.
In the second half, Atletico thought they had equalized when Alexander Sorloth scored with 20 minutes left, only for the goal to be ruled offside. Barcelona then extended their lead as Robert Lewandowski calmly tapped in from close range.
But Atletico wasn’t finished. Marcos Llorente smashed in a strike from the edge of the box with six minutes to go, and Sorloth bundled home a counter-attacking goal to ensure the tie remained deadlocked going into the return leg.
