Ademola Lookman delivered a superb performance as Atletico Madrid thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi final at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, putting one foot firmly in the final.
Atletico made a dream start in the seventh minute when Eric Garcia turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Ademola Lookman. Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia failed to deal with a routine back pass and allowed the ball to slip past him. Although Lookman was on hand to finish, the goal was credited as an own goal after replays confirmed the ball had already crossed the line.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 14th minute following a swift attacking move. A long ball found Lookman on the left and the play was quickly switched across the pitch. Nahuel Molina slid a precise pass into Antoine Griezmann, who calmly set himself before slotting the ball through Jules Kounde’s legs and beyond the goalkeeper.
Atletico’s high intensity and direct approach continued to trouble Barcelona’s high defensive line, and a third goal arrived in the 33rd minute. Giuliano Simeone advanced down the right and picked out Julian Alvarez, who cleverly clipped a first time pass into Lookman’s path. The Nigerian winger smashed his effort into the bottom corner past Joan Garcia to make it 3-0, prompting wild celebrations from Diego Simeone on the touchline.
Deep into first half added time, Atletico struck again on the counter attack. Ademola Lookman was again involved, cutting the ball back into the path of Alvarez, whose powerful right footed strike from the edge of the box ripped into the net to give the home side a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.
Despite having just 30 percent possession and completing only 145 passes in the first half, Atletico were ruthless in front of goal, scoring four times and forcing three big saves from the Barcelona goalkeeper.
Barcelona thought they had pulled one back in the 52nd minute when Lamine Yamal won a free kick on the right. He squared the ball to Fermin Lopez, whose low shot deflected into the path of Pau Cubarsi to score. However, after a lengthy VAR review lasting eight minutes, the goal was ruled out for offside.
Frustration mounted for the visitors and it worsened late on when Eric Garcia was shown a red card. Initially booked for a late challenge on Alex Baena with no attempt to play the ball, the referee was advised to review the incident. After consulting the pitch side monitor, he upgraded the decision and sent the defender off, judging that Baena had been denied a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Atletico nearly added a fifth in the 91st minute when Molina whipped in a low cross that beat the goalkeeper, but Alexander Sorloth somehow fired wide with the goal at his mercy.
Ademola Lookman completed 73 minutes before being replaced by Thiago Almada. He finished the game with one goal from one shot, completed 10 of his 14 passes, and recorded 29 touches in an influential display.
The result gives Atletico a significant advantage ahead of the second leg, especially in a fixture that has often gone Barcelona’s way in recent years. In last season’s semi final meeting, Barcelona progressed after a dramatic 4-4 draw at home and a narrow win in Madrid. Under Diego Simeone, Atletico have previously been eliminated by Barcelona in 2009, 2015, 2017 and 2025. This emphatic first leg victory, however, puts Simeone on course to finally secure an aggregate triumph over the Catalan side in the competition.
