Atletico rout Barcelona in CopaADVANTAGE ATLETICO: Well off the pace in La Liga, the Copa del Rey represents Atletico Madrid’s best chance of silverware this seasonAFP, MADRIDAtletico Madrid on Thursday hammered Copa del Rey holders Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez scores against Barcelona in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg at the Metropolitano in Madrid on Thursday. Photo: ReutersBoth sides missed good chances in the second half, with Barca’s Pau Cubarsi having a goal disallowed before Garcia was sent off in the final stages. Former Barcelona striker Griezmann slid home the second as Atletico breached the Catalans’ high defensive line repeatedly, leaning on the pace of Giuliano Simeone and Lookman. Barcelona thought they had pulled one back in the second half when Pau Cubarsi netted, but it was controversially disallowed after a long video assistant referee review for offside.

Source: Taipei Times February 14, 2026 03:45 UTC