FC Barcelona has taken another step towards the treble. The blue and garnet team visited the Riyadh Air Metropolitano to face Atlético de Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, and in an exhibition of personality, hierarchy, and champion character, they achieved a resounding and hard-fought victory (0-1) to join Real Madrid in the grand final of the competition.

The Barça were clearly superior to their rivals from the first minute and took the lead with a goal from Ferran Torres in the 27th minute, which would ultimately be the decisive one to secure a ticket to La Cartuja on April 26. After an absolutely dominant first half, the Blaugranas executed a brutal exercise in resilience in the second half to seal the series and keep the dream of the treble more alive than ever.

Ferran Torres struck the first blow in the tie

The first 45 minutes were electrifying. The Blaugranas were clearly superior to the Rojiblancos and could have sealed the tie before halftime, but they failed to capitalize on their opportunities in the opponent's half. Right after the match started, Lamine Yamal got behind the defense for the first time, but Giménez threw himself to the ground to prevent Raphinha from pushing the ball over the line.

The Barça dominated possession, and in the 5th minute, the big controversy of the match arose. Azpilicueta received a yellow card for a harsh tackle from behind on the Brazilian winger, who took a hit with the studs between his calf and heel. The VAR advised Munuera Montero to review the action as it was clearly worthy of expulsion, but incomprehensibly, the referee maintained his initial decision and spared the defender a red card.

Despite the controversy, Hansi Flick's side did not let themselves be carried away by the referee's blatant robbery and responded on the pitch. In the 27th minute, Lamine saw Ferran Torres making a brilliant run and crafted a spectacular assist for the 'Shark' to touch it with his toe and break through Musso's goal, scoring for the fourth consecutive match and momentarily sending the Catalans to the final.

The Catalans continued their siege on the Madrilenians and could have doubled their lead on two occasions. The first was at the feet of Yamal, who pounced on a rebound inside the area, but his shot was not accurate. Later, Raphinha threatened Musso's goal with a close-range shot, but it was well saved by the Argentine, sending both teams into halftime with the Blaugranas holding a partial lead.

M Martínez Munuera spared Azpilicueta's expulsion

José Luis Munuera Montero did not take long to make a mistake against FC Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. In the 8th minute, the Andalusian referee punished a very harsh foul by César Azpilicueta on Raphinha with a yellow card. The full-back arrived late to a divided ball, digging his studs into the Brazilian's left calf. The Valencian Juan Martínez Munuera, from the VAR, warned that it was a violent action.

However, despite complying with the call from the VOR room and reviewing the play on the monitor, the main referee maintained his initial decision. Yellow card and free kick in midfield in favor of Barça. Azpilicueta even had the luxury of vehemently protesting the initial decision, claiming it was the first foul of the match. The broadcast images were clear. The studs of the '3' from Atleti deserved a red card, as besides arriving late, he could have injured Raphinha due to a reckless action.

Barcelona storms the Metropolitano again

Upon returning from the locker rooms, the Atlético came out with fire in their eyes onto the Metropolitano pitch in search of a goal to get back into the match. Thus, in the 52nd minute, Alexander Sorloth gave the Catalans their first scare of the night after finding himself alone against Szczesny, but his shot hit the outer netting of the Polish goalkeeper's goal.

The Barça responded four minutes later, in the 56th. Lamine Yamal executed a magical individual play where he left three Rojiblancos behind and passed the ball to Ferran Torres, who set up Raphinha, whose right-footed shot forced Musso to make a great save at the near post.

Amid the urgency and desperation of the colchoneros and the protection of the Blaugranas, the match entered a very tangled phase, marked by numerous fouls and little rhythm. However, in the 69th minute, Sorloth scared the Catalans again with a crossed left-footed shot that slipped into 'Tek's' goal, but his goal was disallowed for a clear offside.

Diego Simeone's men tried to revive in the tie, but the Catalans fiercely protected their overall lead and prevented the Rojiblancos from leveling the score, demonstrating personality and hierarchy to seal their place in the grand final of the Cup and keep the dream of the treble more alive than ever.

Barça will face Real Madrid in the final

With this victory, Barça secures their place in the final of the Copa del Rey and will face Real Madrid again, who secured their ticket to this stage after controversially eliminating Real Sociedad last Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabéu. This matchup will be the first that both teams have faced at this stage in over a decade and the eighth in the entire history of the competition.

The last time the Cup witnessed a Clásico in its final was on April 16, 2014, at Mestalla, in the match of Gareth Bale's famous run down the wing. The history is slightly favorable to the Merengues, who have emerged victorious on four occasions (2014, 2011, 1974, and 1936) against three for the Blaugranas (1990, 1983, and 1968). However, the current state of both teams and the immediate precedents invite belief in a new triumph for the Catalans, who are beginning to pave the way for the treble.

Technical sheet    

  • Atlético de Madrid, 0: Musso; Azpilicueta (Galan, min. 46), Le Normand (Molina, min. 58), Giménez, Reinildo (Sorloth, min. 46); Llorente, De Paul, Pablo Barrios, Giuliano Simeone (Lenglet, min. 46); Griezmann (Riquelme, min. 81), Julián Álvarez.
  • FC Barcelona, 1: Szczesny (P); Koundé, Pau Cubarsí (Eric García, min. 58), Íñigo Martínez, Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Fermín López (Araujo, min. 58); Lamine Yamal (Martín, min. 87), Raphinha, Ferran Torres (Lewandowski, min. 74).
  • Goals: 0-1, Ferran Torres (min. 27).
  • Referee: Martínez Munuera. He booked Atlético's Reinildo, Azpilicueta, Molina, and De Paul, and Barça's Frenkie de Jong, Martín, and Balde.