Atletico Madrid Stuns Barcelona with Dramatic 4-4 Draw in Copa del Rey Semifinal First Leg

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played out a thrilling 4-4 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Tuesday night, with both teams staging remarkable comebacks in a high-paced encounter.

Atletico Madrid shocked the home crowd with two quick-fire goals in the opening six minutes. Julián Álvarez opened the scoring just 55 seconds after the kickoff, volleying in from close range after Antoine Griezmann’s precise cross. Five minutes later, Griezmann himself found the back of the net, curling a shot past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen following a quick counter-attack.

Despite the early setback, Barcelona responded with vigor. Pedri González pulled one back in the 19th minute, slotting the ball home after a brilliant pass from Lamine Yamal. Barely two minutes later, Barcelona leveled the score as Pau Cubarsi rose above Atlético’s Pablo Barrios to head in a cross from Raphinha.

The game turned in favor of the hosts just before halftime when Iñigo Martínez scored a header from a corner in the 41st minute to give Barcelona a 3-2 lead at the break.

Barcelona came out strong in the second half, looking to extend their advantage, and they did just that in the 74th minute. After another dazzling run by Yamal, Robert Lewandowski was in the right place at the right time to tap in a simple goal, making it 4-2.

However, Atletico was far from done. In the 84th minute, Marcos Llorente capitalized on a counter-attack to reduce the deficit to 4-3. Then, with the match heading into injury time, substitute Alexander Sorloth completed the dramatic comeback for Atletico with a close-range goal in the third minute of stoppage time, securing a 4-4 draw.

Atletico forward Álvarez reflected on the game, acknowledging the team’s resilience. “We knew it was going to be tough because we were playing against one of the best teams in Europe,” he said. “We stayed in the game, kept our heads up, and believed we could do it. There are still 90 minutes left, and it’s very close.”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid, who were watching from the sidelines as they prepare for their own Copa del Rey clash against Real Sociedad, will certainly be taking notes ahead of their semifinal. The winners of this tie will face the victor of the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad matchup.