More than a decade later, the Copa del Rey will have a clásico final. First Barcelona played, then they resisted, expertly suppressing Atlético Madrid’s brief rebellion at the Metropolitano, and together those two halves, those two faces, took them through. A wild and open first leg, 4-4 at Montjuic, gave way to a tighter second won by a single Ferran Torres goal. Seville awaits football’s greatest rivals, both of them still chasing a treble. “Dreaming is allowed,” Hansi Flick said, “but we will have to work hard. At the club they have a lot of space for more titles.”
For Diego Simeone’s side, meanwhile, this was The End. In the five weeks since the first leg of this semi-final, a season that had set up to be superb instead escaped Atlético, all three major competitions gone. They have won just one of five games since then, and that was the Champions League second leg in which Madrid knocked them out on penalties. They also slipped nine points off the top in La Liga and now their cup run is over. They had taken their opponents to the line but could not get over it themselves. “There’s nothing to reproach,” the coach said.
Here, perhaps, there could have been. Afterwards José María Giménez apologised for how Atlético had played in the first half. His manager said there was no need to say sorry and rightly insisted that they had “competed” after the break. But while the substitute Alex Sørloth had a potential equaliser ruled out for offside, and while they sent the goalkeeper Juan Musso up for a corner in the 94th minute, some hope still there at the very end, ultimately they had not managed a shot on target.
Apart from a brief storm, Barcelona had controlled this, and in two different ways. “You also have to defend and we did it great,” Flick said. “Not only with the ball, but also against the ball – and this is team work.”
The start suggested another wild, open game, Lamine Yamal escaping up the right at one end and Marcos Llorente doing likewise at the other. A couple fierce early challenges gave it an edge too. The game though soon settled into a pattern imposed by Barcelona, the ball theirs, played with patience but insistence.
As Barcelona moved it swiftly through midfield, Pedri was at the heart of it all, his movement smooth and precise. Alongside him, Frenkie de Jong excelled. The third midfielder, Fermín impressed again, all sharp, incisive runs just ahead of them. But when the moves quickened and the threat became more real, they tended to do so at the feet of Lamine Yamal.
Not so much because he ran at people this time, although he did, and a shift of his hips is often enough to send opponents off the other way. Not because he was there to finish moves either, although on 11 minutes another quick exchange saw him bend a shot just past the far post. But more because of his eye for a pass and his ability to execute it, an awareness of everything happening around him, his decision-making always impeccable.
Bit by bit, Barcelona pushed Atlético deeper; bit by bit, they picked their way round them too. A lovely exchange between Torres, Pedri and Raphinha left Torres free until Robin Le Normand stepped in to stop him. A scooped pass from Lamine Yamal then sent Jules Koundé into the area. Fermín was the next player to see a final pass fall a fraction short. And then Barcelona took the lead, Lamine Yamal delivering an angled ball into the area where Torres slipped in and beat Musso.
Barcelona were entirely in control now, Raphinha seeing one free-kick curl over and another effort blocked by Musso.
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All Atlético had was a Le Normand header floating over, reaching half-time relieved that the gap was only one. Simeone introduced Clément Lenglet, Javi Galán and Alex Sørloth at the break, the second half beginning with an Antoine Griezmann volley wide. This felt different now, and the fans felt it too, the noise rising. The roof almost came off when Rodrigo De Paul slotted in Sørloth. One on one against Wojciech Szczesny, the goal opening, the Norwegian’s shot struck the side netting.
Atlético were up and running now. And, although a superb surge from Lamine Yamal and Fermín’s awareness opened a chance for Raphinha which might have ended it but for a save from Musso, Flick reacted to close off the spaces, his team dropping deeper, the substitutes Eric García and Ronald Araújo destined to play key roles. The foul count rose too, Barcelona committing more than in any game this season. The score did not change, Sørloth running on to Julián Alvarez’s flick to smash home with 20 minutes to go, only to see the flag raised.
And that, it turned out, was that. The margin remained fine, hope held until the last, but triumph once again remained out of reach for Atlético. For Barcelona, it is a clásico away, and that may yet be just the start.
Source: theguardian.com
