Atletico Madrid and Barcelona played out a Copa del Rey classic for the ages on Tuesday with the semifinal first leg ending 4-4. But the second half lived up to the billing with Alexander Soloroth rescuing the draw in the 93rd minute of play. The match was a roller coaster with Atletico Madrid going ahead by two goals only six minutes into the match before allowing four unanswered goals from Barcelona and then scoring two more goals of their own for the final result.
A brace of assists from Raphinha alongside goals from each of Barcelona’s center backs was matched by Julan Alvarez’s goal and assist as the stars came to perform, but the defenses didn’t. With the late equalizer ahead of the second leg being in Madrid on April 2, Atleti were able to deal Barcelona a mental blow during what has been a strong season for Hansi Flick’s men.
Atletico Madrid’s wing backs Giuliano Simeone and Javi Galan couldn’t do anything to slow Barcelona down. When Flick’s attack has been able to get into full flow, they’ve been among the best in the world and a lot of that comes down to the form of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
Diego Simeone countered with his best options bringing on Nahuel Molina, Soloroth, and Angel Correa to spark the comeback continuing to push the right buttons even when his defense hasn’t been at its best. This has been part of Atleti’s evolution this season, pushing them closer to the top of La Liga alongside Barcelona and to the last 16 of Champions League play.
Raphinha’s Ballon D’or form
Raphinha’s brace of assists sees him keep pace with Mohamed Salah in the Ballon d’Or race. The Brazilian now has 24 goals and 18 assists in all competitions while Salah has 30 goals and 21 assists in all competitions. While Salah has a significant lead in counting stats, the pair are on a crash course in Champions League play, which could be what determines things.
Like Salah, when Barcelona is down they can count on Raphinha to get them back into games and wing backs Giuliano Simeone and Javi Galan couldn’t do anything to slow Barcelona down. When Hansi Flick’s attack has been able to get into full flow, they’ve been among the best in the world and a lot of that comes down to the form of Yamal and Raphinha. As matches get tougher, even more will be needed from the duo as this match is one of many showing that Barcelona’s defense won’t be what carries them this season.
Defense
Barcelona have lived and died by their high line this season but Wojciech Szczesny hasn’t been good enough in the net since taking over for the injured Marc Andre ter Stegen. This hasn’t been an issue when facing smaller teams in La Liga or sides who can’t keep up with Barcelona’s attack but it is a major one when facing teams of Atleti’s caliber.
Simeone’s men were able to take advantage of all of that in their comeback which will make for quite a second leg in Madrid. Their defense also wasn’t up to par but with six forwards available who can all cut a team apart, it hasn’t been as much of an issue. Much of that is due to adding Alvarez during an eventful summer of spending to refresh the side.
What’s next
Both teams will return to La Liga play this coming weekend but one eye will be on Champions League returning next week. Barcelona will travel to face Benfica on March 5 while Atletico Madrid have a Madrid derby vs. Real Madrid on Mar 4. Depending on how these round of 16 ties go, the Copa Del Rey second leg could mean a lot more to one of these teams than the other.
KVSP