Barça lets Atlético de Madrid leave Montjuïc alive

BarcelonaHansi Flick's Barça shot themselves in the foot again against Atlético de Madrid (4-4) and let a two-goal lead slip away after coming back from 0-2 down. Atlético de Madrid, again with Sorloth as the final hero, managed to get out of Montjuïc alive thanks to two goals in the final minutes. Barça showed that they have unwavering faith by managing to turn the initial score around, but they were unable to close out the game and everything remains open for the return to Madrid on April 2.

If the team had to come back it was because of a disastrous start to the match. In less than a minute, Julián Álvarez first tested Szczesny, and then beat him. In a short corner kick, Griezmann found the head of Lenglet, who combed the ball in at the far post where the Argentine striker was able to score. It looked like an accident, but another one would come in just five minutes. A risky pass back from Kounde to a sleepy De Jong ended with Julián winning the ball and leading a counterattack that Griezmann would finish off, with Balde cutting in first and Szczesny beating a tepid one later.

Barça had to continue being brave and believing. On a counterattack, Pedri found Raphinha, who with a first touch and quality, left Ferran alone. The Valencian had all the time in the world against Musso, but he finished very badly: soft and in the middle. With Lamine Yamal and Pedri putting the team on their backs and the fans pushing, the gestures that the Barça players made between themselves were unmistakable: they pointed to their heads and asked for calm. The pace had to be accelerated but without losing control: the match was 180 minutes long, not just 90.

Pau Cubarí's first goal

Lamine Yamal was in the mood for a break and, after a delicious one-two with Kounde, one of Barça's most successful partnerships, the Frenchman ended up leaving a wonderful pass in the heart of the area that Pedri, with precision, placed away from Musso's hands to put Barça fully in the game and shorten the score. The explosion of emotion would come with Cubarsí's equalising goal, imperial from a corner served by Raphinha and which he celebrated by kissing the badge. It was his first goal with the first team.

If a few minutes before the players were asking each other to calm down, after the equaliser the gestures led to a communion with the fans, in which the Barça players, with their chests full of pride, asked the supporters not to stop cheering them on, that this team is worth cheering on. Montjuïc was more lively than at any other game this season, with a symbiosis between players and fans reflected in Iñigo's arms raised high, demanding more applause while Flick, almost always with restrained gestures, smiled from the sidelines.

With the score level, everything was virgin, everything started again, with a Barça that bit and bit and an Atlético that could not explain how in a flash its rival had pulverized the 0-2 that they had built in the first five minutes. The legs of the Madrid team were shaking while the azulgranas became increasingly gigantic, slowing down a little and converting the outburst that had led them to the draw into control of the ball.

Flick's men matured the opportunities and, when they did not have the ball, they pinched. Thus, Ferran created only one opportunity. He crossed the ball to Llorente, but he finished in a very erratic way, losing his balance, when he had already overcome Musso. The tie was an injection of adrenaline, but it was necessary to complete the comeback. Iñigo Martínez, one of the men of the match, would make sure that it was so. In a play very similar to the second goal, Barça again made the most of the set piece. Lamine Yamal, who turned Galan's game into a painful visit to the dentist, won another corner after making a fool of his defender. Raphinha's privileged foot served the ball to the far post and there, after getting rid of Llorente's lukewarm marking, Iñigo headed it in as if he had done it with his heart. After five goals – which could have been six because Musso saved a good shot from Lamine Yamal – and 45 thrilling minutes, Barça went into the break in the lead and making up for a bad start to the game.

Bitter ending

The second half began with Flick's men continuing to attack, but Atlético caused a scare with a forced shot from Griezmann that Szczesny dealt well with. Barça, at the pace dictated by Pedri, responded with a piece of mischief from Lamine Yamal, who claimed a penalty that was too light to be called. Atlético improved in the second half, making Iñigo and Cubarsi work impeccably. They still had to concede another blow: a masterful play from that treasure that Barça has called Lamine Yamal and a goal at ease from a Lewandowski who would end up regretting missing the opportunity to score a double.

The fans were encouraged with shouts ofole, ole, but what should have been a memorable comeback ended in a dull outcome. With just a few minutes to go, Llorente would start to spoil the party with a goal that gave wings to the colchoneros. The end was painful: Kounde slipped and Sorloth scored, as in the League. Everything will be decided in Madrid.