Atlético Madrid endured a nervy 3-0 defeat to FC Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday but advanced to the final with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
After a commanding 4-0 first-leg win in early February, Diego Simeone’s side were pushed to the brink at Camp Nou as Barcelona mounted a fierce comeback attempt.
Youngster Marc Bernal struck twice for the Catalan giants, while Raphinha converted a penalty as the 32-time Copa del Rey winners tried desperately to overturn the deficit. Despite relentless late pressure, Atletico held firm to reach their first Copa del Rey final since 2013.
They will face either Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao, who meet in the second semi-final.
“We knew it would be a tricky game, coming back from 4-0 down is never easy. But I’m proud of the team; we gave everything,” Raphinha told Movistar.
“We’re disappointed because we wanted to be in the final, and based on our performance we felt we deserved it. But we have to respect Atletico, they’re a great team and they defended what they had very well.”
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso admitted his side were under immense pressure but celebrated their resilience.
“We’re dreaming of winning the cup. Maybe it wasn’t our best performance, we were better in the first leg,” Musso said. “In the final 15 minutes, it was all in their favour, their pitch, their fans. They needed just one more goal, but we suffered and pulled through.”
Barcelona started aggressively, with Fermin Lopez firing narrowly over early on as Hansi Flick’s men threw everything forward. However, they suffered a blow when Jules Kounde was forced off injured.
Atletico remained dangerous on the counter, with Antoine Griezmann threatening against his former club. Ferran Torres twice came close before Barcelona finally broke through.
Teenager Lamine Yamal surged down the flank and squared for Bernal to tap home from close range, one 18-year-old combining with another to ignite hopes of a comeback.
Ademola Lookman narrowly missed a header for Atletico, a chance they would soon regret. Barcelona doubled their lead before the break when Pedri was brought down in the box by Marc Pubill, and Raphinha calmly dispatched the penalty.
Joao Cancelo nearly added a third soon after the restart, but Musso produced a full-stretch save to keep Atletico in front on aggregate.
Bernal reignited belief when he volleyed home Cancelo’s cross, bringing Barcelona within one goal of forcing extra time and setting up a tense finale.
Flick threw caution to the wind, pushing centre-back Ronald Araujo into attack as Barcelona chased a decisive fourth goal. Gerard Martin went close as the hosts poured forward, urged on by a roaring crowd through six minutes of stoppage time.
But Atletico withstood the storm, defending resolutely to seal their place in the final in Seville on April 18.
AFP
