Atletico moved into the last place of the Copa as Barca came back running out of gas
Barcelona 3-0 Atletico Madrid (3-4 on aggregate)
Atletico Madrid will play in their first Copa del Rey final in 13 years after knocking out Barcelona in a nail-biting semi-final second leg. In a game that seemed to leave the fans, players and coaches alone with exhaustion, Atletico managed to repel Barcelona’s comeback attempt when it mattered most.
Predictably, Barcelona started with their foot on the gas, looking to keep the tempo up, and Atletico under pressure. Although Los Colchoneros struggled to break away from their own half in the first half hour, being forced to concede cheaply, Barcelona struggled at all times to make the most of the ball in the final third.
As their ferocity and tempo seemed to be starting to wane however, Lamine Yamal found the answer. A short corner went to Lamine Yamal, who beat Ademola Lookman outside and curled the ball into the six-yard box. To everyone’s surprise, Marc Bernal stood lonely in the middle to enter.
HALF TIME: FC Barcelona 2-0 Atlético Madrid.
Exactly the kind of half we were expecting! pic.twitter.com/rjnpx5dcGu
– barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 3, 2026
From that point on, Atletico grew into a game though, starting to find more chances as Barcelona struggled to maintain their strong machine. Antoine Griezmann had two chances, one of which hit the post, but both would have been offside. It was Lookman who had the best chance just before the break, as Marcos Llorente made his first burst into Barcelona’s half down the right. Giuliano Simeone’s subsequent cross found Lookman unmarked in the middle, but he glanced it wide into the top corner.
Such is the law of football, he is made to feel sorry for himself. At halftime, Barcelona got the second they needed to feel like they were on their way. A quick exchange between Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres wanted to release Pedri in the box, and wanting to stop it, Marc Pubill brought down the Spanish midfielder. Raphinha, until then let loose with the ball, sent Juan Musso the wrong way to raise the temperature for Los Colchoneros.
The second half was a little quieter at the start, with the feeling that Barcelona knew they would need to tighten up in the second half. It was Joao Cancelo who forced the first save ten minutes into the second half, as Lamine Yamal came on from the left. Sliding past Matteo Ruggeri a minute later, the Atletico backline and Musso pulled off four blocks in quick succession, just before the hour mark – a sign for Diego Simeone to make changes. Alexander Sorloth and Nahuel Molina were sent on to allow Marcos Llorente to move into midfield, with captain Koke Resurreccion and Lookman out.
It seems to have had an effect. Not long after, Atletico had their first spell of long-term management at Barcelona’s half. Although it ended up going in with Molina’s harmless shot, it seemed to reveal the growing fatigue of Barcelona’s players, who were struggling to keep up with the opposition’s runners. After losing Jules Kounde to injury after 11 minutes, his replacement Alejandro Balde came off crying with 20 minutes to go.
🚨🇦🇷 JUST IN – Question: “During the directors’ lunch, was Julián Álvarez mentioned at all?”
Mateu Alemany: “Not a single word.”
Question: “His name did not appear?”
Mateu Alemany: “No, and I WILL NOT .
[via @rubenuria/@Movistar] pic.twitter.com/mWQQhsiKYI– Atlético Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 3, 2026
The seconds continued to weigh on Barcelona, who began to look nervous now. Just then, another short corner opened up for Atletico. This time it was Joao Cancelo’s cross that flew towards the far post and found Bernal again, free to curl a volley into the far corner. In a bold move, Hansi Flick sent Ronald Araujo, Balde’s replacement, forward to cause a huge stir. Instead, Atlético began to break up the game, finding ways to make the little things happen.
Players, managers and fans are upset as time is running out. At this time, Los Rojiblancos entered their third, and began to see their lead. Barcelona launched cross after cross and corner after corner into the Atleti defence, which held firm. In the last minute of normal time, Gerard Martin rapped a little drive, and everyone looked nervous on the board of the fourth official: six minutes.
*Le troisième but du BARÇA*
*⚽ Bernal*
> FC BARCELONA ACTU pic.twitter.com/Aeis013PLW
— Arnold kikuanza (@kikuanza62040) March 3, 2026
Even if Sorloth ran clear and fired a shot, or Lamine Yamal curled one in the dying moments, it felt like the clock wasn’t moving, and the players themselves stood still. When the final whistle blew, Atlético broke up in the middle of the pitch. After a while, Diego Simeone was seen walking up the tunnel, breathing deeply, thinking, recovering, happy.
Barcelona were unfazed by the massive effort, but knew they needed something special to qualify. Although their performance was excellent, the crowning moment, a piece of magic in the dying stages eluded them. Atlético, in contrast, lifted themselves at the final whistle. If there was any question about their mental strength, Simeone will look again at the way his side defended, coming in and disrupting Barcelona in the final 20 minutes of the tie. There, in those moments, there was a selfless, humble display, and those minutes were their passage to the finals.
