BARCELONA: Atletico Madrid conceded a two-goal lead then fought back from two down in a wild 4-4 draw with Barcelona in a Copa del Rey semifinal first leg thriller on Tuesday.
After Diego Simeone’s side scored twice in the opening six minutes through Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann, Barca raced through the gears in a high-octane performance.
The superb Pedri Gonzalez pulled one back with Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez and Robert Lewandowski going on to score for the Catalan giants.
Marcos Llorente netted for Atletico before Alexander Sorloth struck in the 93rd minute to leave the tie perfectly poised ahead of the second leg at the Metropolitano stadium on April 2.
“It’s a terrible result when you go 4-2 up... you have to be more careful, these are things we have to learn,” Pedri told Movistar.
“Today we started badly but I’ll focus on how the team reacted.
“When we got in front we have to be calmer... it will be a difficult (second leg) but we will go there to try and win.”
Hansi Flick left Barca’s top goalscorer Lewandowski out of the starting line-up, with Ferran Torres taking his place in a false nine role.
Simeone picked a strong side despite his side’s extremely tricky fixture list, with this the first of three matches against Barca and a Champions League last 16 tie against Real Madrid on the horizon.
Atletico took the lead inside the first minute, with Alvarez pouncing at the back post after Griezmann’s cross was flicked on.
Atletico doubled their lead in the sixth minute when Jules Kounde gave the ball away and Alvarez produced a stunning pass to release Griezmann.
The French forward was being pressured by Alejandro Balde but cleverly worked room for a shot, which Wojciech Szczesny got a hand to but could not keep out.
After Atletico’s opening salvo, Barcelona dominated the rest of the first half.
Ferran Torres should have levelled for Barcelona after Raphinha sent him through on goal but his shot was week and Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso saved easily.
The La Liga leaders hit two goals in two minutes to pull back level, with Kounde setting up Pedri for the first before Cubarsi nodded home from a corner.
Torres spurned another golden chance for Barca’s third, rounding Musso but misfiring under pressure from Clement Lenglet, on loan from the Catalans at Atletico.
Szczesny saved well from Griezmann at the start of the second half, with Barca still largely in control.
Sorloth had a goal disallowed for offside as the visitors sought an equalizer, but instead it was Barca who moved further ahead.
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal created it with a brilliant dribble, blazing past Reinildo Mandava and squaring for substitute Lewandowski to tap home.
Barcelona’s performance merited their lead but Llorente’s 84th minute strike from the edge of the box opened the door for Sorloth to net late on.
The Norwegian forward grabbed Atletico a last-gasp victory at Barca’s Olympic stadium in December in La Liga and he was in the right place at the right time once more to finish from Samuel Lino’s cut-back.
“It was crazy, a lot of goals, we knew it wouldn’t be easy against one of the best teams in Europe, they’ve proved that,” Alvarez told Movistar.
“We did our work too though and there’s 90 minutes to go... we have to continue on this path.”
On Wednesday Real Madrid visit Real Sociedad in the other semifinal first leg.
Atletico hold Barca in ‘crazy’ eight-goal Copa del Rey semi first leg
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Atletico hold Barca in ‘crazy’ eight-goal Copa del Rey semi first leg
- The Norwegian forward grabbed Atletico a last-gasp victory at Barca’s Olympic stadium in December in La Liga and he was in the right place at the right time once more to finish from Samuel Lino’s cut-back
‘Proud’ Saudi fighters Basahel and Albrahim bask in PFL MENA wins
- Duo spoke after victories at the Dhahran Expo in Alkhobar
- In the main event Mohammad Alaqraa defeated Badreddine Diani to become PFL MENA welterweight champion
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia fighters Malik Basahel and Ahmed Albrahim have revealed their delight at winning their showcase bouts at “PFL MENA Finals: All or Nothing” at the Dhahran Expo in Alkhobar.
The night also saw four new PFL MENA champions crowned as this year’s season ended.
“Thank God for everything,” Basahel (3-0) told said after his flyweight showcase win over Mahmoud Atef (5-4, 1 NC) by TKO at 3 minutes, 13 seconds of round one.
“Of course, I’m proud of this performance. On record, my opponent has a stronger record. But glory to God, I got the win. My hard work paid off, and what’s coming will be even better, God willing.
“The MMA scene in the Kingdom, especially in Dhahran, is developing and God willing, we’ll see more and more fighters.”
“For sure, the sport is developing, you can see it,” he added. “There are many fighters coming up, even in the amateur divisions. The national team too, Masha Allah, is truly one of the strongest in the world, not just in the Arab region but worldwide.
“Our young athletes, ages 15 to 18 are incredibly talented. Every year, the level keeps improving. PFL is coming here and Insha Allah there will be more opportunities. Thank God, we have many great things happening and a lot of progress.”
Meanwhile, Albrahim (AM 4-1) defeated Mohamed Nabil (AM 2-1) by TKO at 2:45 of round two in their amateur welterweight showcase bout.
“The Eastern Province has always been known for sports in general,” the Saudi fighter said.
“Many athletes have come from there across various fields; football, bodybuilding, and many other sports. The Eastern Province has always been a treasure when it comes to sporting talent.”
“The technique and the talent have been there for a long time, but the media never really highlighted it properly,” Abraham added.
“But as you can see now, the media has started to shed more light on it, and fighters are beginning to emerge. And honestly, there are many people better than me, many talents.
“But once the media shines a light, people finally see it. The Eastern Province is full of fighters, full of gifted athletes, and you will see more coming very soon, God willing.”
Abraham dedicated his win to his parents and brothers. “They have always encouraged me,” he said.
“My father was the first to say, ‘people will wonder how he will come back,’ but that actually motivated me. They kept supporting me while I was training.
“I hope they can see this video, and I dedicate this victory to them. I didn’t make this decision to join PFL until I was fully ready. I entered this fight with a professional mindset. We are ready — Saudi always shows up ready.”
In the main event, Kuwait’s Mohammad Alaqraa (10-1) edged out Morocco’s Badreddine “Dreamchaser” Diani (10-4) by unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds to win the PFL MENA welterweight championship.
In the co-main event, Morocco’s Salah Eddine “Supersalah” Hamli (11-0) kept his undefeated record intact as he submitted Iraq’s Mohammad “Soulkeeper” Fahmi (6-1) in the second round to become the new PFL MENA lightweight champion.
Also, Islam “The Egyptian Zombie” Reda (15-1) scored a second-round submission victory over Algeria’s Yanis “The Desert Warrior” Ghemmouri (13-4) to become the PFL MENA featherweight champion.
In addition, Jordan’s Nawras “Honey Badger” Abzakh (15-6, 1 NC) needed just 36 seconds to submit Islam “Moksha” Youssef (7-3) of Egypt and capture the PFL MENA bantamweight championship.
