Atletico Madrid delivered a dominant performance on Thursday, defeating reigning Copa del Rey champions Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final encounter.
Diego Simeone’s side took an early lead through an own goal by Eric Garcia. Antoine Griezmann soon doubled the advantage, before Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez added further goals to seal a commanding four-goal cushion by half-time.
Barcelona’s woes deepened late in the match when defender Eric Garcia was shown a red card. Atletico comfortably preserved their emphatic lead, which they will carry into the second leg at Camp Nou on March 3 against the competition’s record 32-time winners.
