Ademola Lookman was among the goals as Atletico Madrid produced a ruthless display to hammer Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Thursday night.
Diego Simeone’s side stormed into an early lead in the sixth minute when Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia turned the ball into his own net to hand the hosts a 1-0 advantage.
Antoine Griezmann doubled Atletico’s lead in the 13th minute, finishing clinically from the right side of the box to put the Rojiblancos firmly in control.
Lookman then made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute, firing home from the centre of the box after a sustained period of pressure. The Nigerian forward’s goal further exposed Barcelona’s defensive frailties and sent the home crowd into raptures.
Julian Alvarez completed the first-half rout in the 46th minute, slotting home to give Atletico a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.
Barcelona thought they had pulled one back early in the second half when Pau Cubarsi found the net in the 51st minute, but the effort was ruled out after a VAR check, ensuring Atletico maintained their clean sheet.
The visitors’ frustration deepened in the 84th minute when Eric Garcia was shown a red card following a VAR review, reducing Hansi Flick’s men to 10 players.
Despite late attempts from Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Barcelona were unable to breach Atletico’s defence, with Juan Musso producing key saves to preserve the shutout.
The emphatic victory gives Atletico a massive advantage heading into the second leg, while Barcelona face an uphill battle to keep their Copa del Rey hopes alive.
