Barca was crushed by Atletico Madrid with an unbelievable scoreline

Atletico Madrid created a sensation by overwhelming Barcelona 4-0 in the King’s Cup semi-final first leg, revealing many mistakes in the away team’s defense.

Right from the kickoff, Atletico Madrid pushed their line forward aggressively, putting intense pressure on Barcelona’s goal. This early pressure quickly paid off with an opening goal in the 7th minute, stemming from a personal error by goalkeeper Joan Garcia. In attempting to handle a back pass from Eric Garcia, the Barca keeper made a critical mistake, allowing Atletico to easily break the deadlock. This early concession marked the start of a nightmare period for the visitors.

Throughout the first half, Atletico relentlessly exploited the space behind Barca’s high defensive line, with the dynamic and coordinated quartet of Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, and Ademola Lookman causing constant danger. Almost every attack from the home side brought trouble. In the 14th minute, Griezmann calmly finished to double the lead, leaving Barca’s defense helpless.

The nightmare continued for the Catalan side. In the 33rd minute, Alvarez assisted Lookman who easily scored to make it 3-0. The misery didn’t stop there; in the 45+2 minute, Lookman returned the favor with a precise pass that allowed Alvarez to complete Atletico’s fourth goal just before halftime. Barca’s only notable chance in the first half was a shot by Fermin Lopez in the 20th minute that hit the crossbar.

In the second half, Barca’s bad luck persisted. In the 52nd minute, Pau Cubarsi found the net for Barca, but the goal was disallowed after VAR ruled Robert Lewandowski offside in the build-up. Aside from this near moment of hope, Barca was almost completely shut down, especially as Lamine Yamal was tightly marked.

The low point of Barca’s poor performance came in the 85th minute when Eric Garcia received a straight red card, ending a disastrous game for him and the entire Barca defense. Ultimately, Atletico Madrid celebrated a resounding 4-0 victory, gaining a massive advantage ahead of the second leg of the King’s Cup semi-final at Nou Camp at 3:00 AM on March 4th.

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