Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, was among the scorers as Atlético Madrid stunned FC Barcelona 4–0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Metropolitano on Thursday night.
The hosts produced a ruthless first-half display, scoring all four goals before the break to leave the La Liga leaders with a mountain to climb ahead of the return leg.
Barcelona’s nightmare evening began early when goalkeeper Joan García failed to control a simple back pass from Eric García.
The ball slipped under his foot and rolled toward goal. Although the defender tried to clear it, the ball had already crossed the line before Lookman tapped it in, giving Atlético the lead in the seventh minute.
Antoine Griezmann doubled the advantage in the 14th minute, finishing off a slick attacking move with a low strike into the corner.
Atlético continued to dominate, and Lookman struck again in the 33rd minute after a swift move down the left.
Giuliano Simeone’s run created space for Julián Álvarez, who flicked a first-time pass into the Nigerian’s path, and he drilled the ball past the helpless García.
Álvarez then got on the scoresheet himself in first-half stoppage time, finishing from Lookman’s cutback to make it 4–0 before the interval.
Barcelona managed to steady themselves after the break, but their hopes of a comeback were dealt another blow in the 85th minute when Eric García was sent off. Initially shown a yellow card for a rash challenge, the decision was upgraded to a red after a VAR review.
The visitors also had a goal ruled out early in the second half when Pau Cubarsí’s strike was disallowed for offside following a lengthy video check.
Despite avoiding further damage after the interval, it was a forgettable night for Barcelona, who now face an uphill task in the second leg after Atlético’s devastating first-half performance.
