Atletico Madrid and Barcelona played out a breathtaking 4-4 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey clash, with both teams surrendering two-goal leads in a pulsating encounter.
The result extends Barcelona’s unbeaten streak to 14 matches, setting up a thrilling second leg.
The match exploded into life within 50 seconds as Antoine Griezmann’s cross was flicked on by Clement Lenglet, allowing Julian Alvarez to poke home the opener.
Alvarez then turned provider minutes later, winning possession deep in Barcelona’s half before threading a precise pass to Griezmann, who coolly slotted past Wojciech Szczesny.
Barcelona responded emphatically, pulling one back in the 19th minute when Pedri fired into the bottom corner following Jules Koundé’s cutback. Just two minutes later, Pau Cubarsí nodded in from a Raphinha corner to level the scores. The home side then took the lead just before halftime as Iñigo Martínez replicated Cubarsí’s finish, heading in another Raphinha corner to complete the turnaround.
Atletico came out strong in the second half, with Rodrigo De Paul setting up Griezmann for a golden chance, only for Szczesny to deny him.
Lamine Yamal had a penalty appeal waved away, while Marcos Llorente’s assist for Alexander Sørloth’s strike was ruled out for offside. Adding to Atletico’s frustration, Barcelona extended their lead as Yamal dribbled through the defense and teed up Robert Lewandowski for a simple finish.
Atletico refused to surrender, with Llorente drilling a shot into the far corner before Sørloth stunned the home crowd with a stoppage-time equalizer.
The two sides will meet again in April for the decisive second leg, but they will first clash in LaLiga in what promises to be another high-stakes encounter.
