Barcelona 3-0 Atletico Madrid (agg. 3-4): Catalan giants fall one goal short of miracle comeback

Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou witnessed 90 minutes of breathless drama, but the hosts’ 3-0 victory on the night was not enough to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit as Atletico Madrid squeezed into the Copa del Rey final 4-3 on aggregate.

Needing a perfect storm to keep their trophy defence alive, Hansi Flick’s side roared out of the blocks and never relented. Teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal set the tone inside 60 seconds by flashing a shot over the bar, and on 29 minutes he torched Marcos Llorente on the left before squaring for 17-year-old midfielder Marc Bernal to tap in the opener.

The roar grew deafening just before the interval when Pedri drew a clumsy foul from Marc Pubill and Raphinha sent Juan Musso the wrong way from the spot for a 2-0 half-time lead that kept the dream flickering.

Barça’s waves continued after the restart. Musso produced back-to-back heroics on 55 minutes, first clawing away Cancelo’s drive and then smothering Bernal’s rebound before denying Raphinha’s close-range follow-up (the latter ruled offside). The Argentine keeper intervened again on 74 minutes, parrying a vicious Yamal cut-back to preserve the visitors’ slender cushion.

Bernal appeared to have completed the impossible on 72 minutes, bundling in Cancelo’s lofted cross for his second goal, a strike confirmed by the tightest of VAR checks. Yet the fourth proved elusive; Atleti threw bodies in front of every late shot, and the final whistle confirmed their first cup final berth since their 2013 triumph.

The night’s effort came at a cost for Barcelona. Jules Kounde’s hamstring gave way inside 13 minutes, replacement Alejandro Balde lasted only until the 69th before leaving the pitch in tears, and Flick’s already-depleted infirmary now faces a pivotal March without two more starters.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, can thank Musso’s gloves and last-ditch defending for masking what was, for 75 minutes, a passive display. Diego Simeone’s men advance to face either Real Sociedad or Athletic Club in the April showpiece, while Barcelona must regroup after a gallant exit that fell agonisingly short of history.