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Updated February 13, 2026

Atlético Madrid Stuns Barcelona with Four-Goal Masterclass

TL;DR

The Metropolitano witnessed a night of pure footballing chaos on Thursday as Atlético Madrid dismantled Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey...

Atlético Madrid Stuns Barcelona with Four-Goal Masterclass

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The Metropolitano witnessed a night of pure footballing chaos on Thursday as Atlético Madrid dismantled Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal. In a match that many expected to be a tight tactical battle, Diego Simeone’s side produced a legendary first-half performance that left the current La Liga leaders shell-shocked and facing a near-impossible task to reach the final.

A First-Half Nightmare for Barcelona

The game began in the worst possible way for the visitors. In only the sixth minute, a routine backpass from Eric García to goalkeeper Joan García turned into a disaster. The young keeper, seemingly blinded by the lights or the pressure, let the ball roll directly under his foot and into the net. This own goal set a frantic tone for the rest of the half, as Atlético sensed blood in the water. Rather than sitting back, the home side pressed even harder. By the 14th minute, the lead was doubled. Antoine Griezmann, facing his former club, showed his clinical edge by slotting a low shot into the bottom corner after a quick exchange of passes. Barcelona’s defense, which has been so solid this season, looked completely lost against the pace and intensity of Atlético's attack. The misery continued for the Catalan giants as the clock ticked toward halftime. In the 33rd minute, new signing Ademola Lookman finished off a blistering counter-attack to make it 3-0. Just when it seemed it couldn't get worse for Hansi Flick’s men, Julián Álvarez hammered home a fourth goal in stoppage time. In just 45 minutes, Atlético had effectively put one foot in the final.

VAR Drama and Defensive Woes

The second half saw a slight improvement from Barcelona , but luck was not on their side. Pau Cubarsí thought he had pulled a goal back early in the half, but after a lengthy eight-minute review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the goal was disallowed for a marginal offside. The delay seemed to drain the last bit of energy from a frustrated Barcelona squad. The evening ended on another sour note for the visitors. Eric García’s difficult night concluded with a red card in the 85th minute. After a VAR review upgraded his initial yellow card For a professional foul on Álex Baena, Barcelona was forced to finish the game with ten men. Despite some late attempts from Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski, the scoreline remained unchanged. This 4-0 defeat is one of Barcelona's heaviest losses in the history Of the domestic cup. They now head back to the Spotify Camp Nou for the second leg on March 3, needing a miracle to overturn the four-goal deficit. For Atlético Madrid, it was a tactical masterpiece that reminded the world why the Metropolitano is one of the toughest places to play in Europe.

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