How Barcelona Dominated Atletico Madrid in a Lopsided Copa del Rey Semi-Final

Leading up to the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg showdown between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, Los Colchoneros likely held a sense of optimism about their chances of making it to the final against their arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Despite a winless streak spanning five matches and a recent 4-2 defeat to Barcelona at home (on 16 March in LaLiga), Atletico had not succumbed to consecutive losses at the Metropolitano since December 2021, when they fell 1-0 to Milan in the Champions League and 2-1 to Mallorca in LaLiga.

Diego Simeone’s ensemble had the ability to secure the result they needed, but they were acutely aware that halting Barcelona’s formidable attack was paramount in order to progress.

Prior to the midweek encounter, the Catalans had notched a staggering 139 goals across all competitions—at least 20 more than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues.

Moreover, Barcelona boasted an impressive record of 12 matches without an away defeat (W9 D3), averaging 3.16 goals per game throughout this period. They also had the upper hand historically against Diego Simeone, having triumphed over him more than any other side in all competitions (39 games: W21 D12 L6), winning in their last three encounters at the Metropolitano.

Barcelona Outsmart Atletico at Their Own Game

Following a thrilling 4-4 draw in the first leg, where eight different players found the net, another exciting 90 minutes was anticipated in the return match. Unsurprisingly, the second leg proved to be just as riveting.

A spirited opening led to a rare instance where the referee was summoned to the monitor by VAR but ultimately upheld his initial yellow card ruling. “I want to see the full impact, please,” Jose Luis Munuera Montero conveyed to VAR in the released audio following the Cesar Azpilicueta challenge on Raphinha. “Okay, for me, it’s not full. He hits him from the side. Give me another camera, I want to see it better. He hits him not fully, laterally. I’m staying with the yellow card, Juan.“

Atletico’s early disciplinary troubles were evident, as they earned three yellow cards within the first 12 minutes (Azpilicueta, Rodrigo de Paul, and Diego Simeone), indicating their willingness to engage in physical play if necessary. However, Barcelona matched their aggression, producing 10 fouls in the first half—above their seasonal average.

Remarkably, the visitors secured a dominant 72.3% possession in the first 15 minutes leading up to the half-hour mark (and 56.7% overall), a daunting statistic against a typically resilient Atletico side. Their high pressing game left little room for Atletico to establish their rhythm during the opening 45 minutes.

Once Ferran Torres found the net for Barcelona in the 26th minute, it spelled trouble for Simeone’s men, especially considering the Blaugranes had won all three previous Copa del Rey matches in which they scored first this season.

Atletico were painfully aware that their last eight Copa del Rey matches where they conceded first had ended in defeat, with their last victory in such circumstances occurring against Reus Deportiu back on 1 December 2015.

Torres’ goal marked his fifth strike in this season’s tournament—making him the top scorer—and validated his selection ahead of Robert Lewandowski.

This also marked Barcelona’s 12th first-half goal across five Copa del Rey matches this season, as Atletico conceded their fourth first-half goal in this cup run—the most for either side thus far.

Lamine Yamal Continues to Shine

Lamine Yamal, despite his youth, continues to set a benchmark and delivered another brilliant performance at the Metropolitano. His assist to Ferran was his third in this year’s Spanish Cup, showcasing his growing influence with three goals and three assists over his last five matches in the competition.

Whether in an attacking or defensive role, Barcelona effectively shut down Atletico’s attempts to gain momentum, with the usually industrious Marcos Llorente managing a mere nine touches before halftime.

By the end of the match, Llorente increased his touches to 51 and registered a pass completion rate of 86.2%, ranking as Atletico’s fifth-best on the night; however, his overall performance was lacklustre, with just one touch in the opposition box.

For a player who prides himself on making impactful contributions in the final third, that is decidedly poor.

Julian Alvarez’s three touches within Barcelona’s penalty area were the most of any Atletico player, epitomising the narrative of the match.

Barcelona players consistently surrounded their counterparts, making life exceedingly difficult as they seized control of the game.

Following a mere four successful dribbles out of twelve attempts by Atletico, fans who paid to witness their side advance to the final were undoubtedly left disappointed. Furthermore, Atletico’s shooting accuracy dipped so low that they failed to record a single shot on target, mirroring an ignominious statistic from the 2014/15 season among Copa del Rey matches.

Barcelona extended their scoring streak to eight consecutive games in the Spanish cup, marking the longest run they have achieved in this tournament since netting in eight matches between 3 March 2021 and 2 March 2023.

Interestingly, both squads recorded their lowest total shots of the match: Atletico with six compared to Barcelona’s 15 (nine of which came from Lamine Yamal (4) and Raphinha (5)).

This victory further extends Barcelona’s unbeaten stretch in 2025, while Atletico—after suffering only one defeat from their previous 26 matches across all competitions—have now gone six games without a win, losing five of those encounters.

As a curiosity from Wednesday’s clash, when was the last time one semi-final first leg ended in 4-4, with the return leg resulting in a 1-0 scoreline, whilst the other semi-final (Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad) saw a 1-0 win in the first leg and a 4-4 draw in the second?!