Barcelona and Atletico Madrid presented an epic drama in the first leg of the 2024/25 Copa del Rey semifinals. The match at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Tuesday (25/2/2025), ended in a 4-4 draw. A hail of goals occurred in a duel that showcased the quality of world-class attacks.
The two teams exchanged attacks non-stop until the final whistle blew. Trailing 0-2 by goals from Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona turned the game around to lead 4-2 with goals from Pedri, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Robert Lewandowski. However, Barcelona failed to secure victory after Atletico scored two more goals through Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth to force the match to end in a draw.
Despite failing to win, Barcelona showed great potential up front. Pedri and Lamine Yamal were the main highlights, bringing magic that brought their team’s game to life.
From the first minute, Pedri appeared like a conductor who set the rhythm of the game. His touch, vision, and intelligence made Barcelona’s midfield so dynamic. He scored a goal that showed his composure and cleverness in reading the situation.
His partnership with Frenkie de Jong was the key to Barcelona’s game in midfield. However, after he was withdrawn in the 85th minute, the team’s balance began to be disturbed.
Pedri played extraordinarily. He was always two steps ahead of the opponent. Without his presence, Barcelona lost control in the middle sector. Atletico took advantage of it to equalize at the end of the match.
On the right side of Barcelona’s attack, Lamine Yamal showed agility and technique that was difficult to stop. Atletico’s defenders were troubled by his quick dribbling and intelligent movement without the ball.
One of his best moments came when he sent a beautiful trivela pass to Jules Kounde. He also recorded a brilliant assist for Robert Lewandowski’s goal, showing his maturity at a young age.
In this match, he really showed his class. He showed extraordinary skills and launched relentless terror into the opponent’s defense. Unfortunately, his classy game was not enough to give his team the win.
Behind Barcelona’s brilliant play, Atletico also deserves praise. Diego Simeone’s team showed a steely mentality by coming back from two goals down.
Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez were the driving force of the attack. Both were always ready to take advantage of gaps in Barcelona’s defense which was caught off guard several times in defensive transitions.
Sorloth’s equalizer in the final minutes showed that Atletico never gave up. With this draw, the second leg in Madrid will be even hotter.
