Three talking points from Atletico Madrid 4-0 Barcelona as Hansi Flick’s side suffer Copa del Rey nightmare

Madrid – Barcelona arrived at the Metropolitano without Marcus Rashford, Raphinha and Pedri, and by the time they left, their unbeaten Copa del Rey streak against Atletico Madrid—eight ties, six wins, two draws—lay in tatters. A 4-0 first-leg demolition means the tie is all but over and leaves Hansi Flick with more questions than answers.

1. A first half that exposed every flaw From the opening whistle, only one team looked like a side chasing a final. Atleti snapped into tackles, beat Barca to every 50-50, and turned possession into thrusting attacks down the flanks. The visitors, by contrast, were second-best in every department, lacking both the bite to disrupt Atletico’s rhythm and the composure to keep the ball under pressure. The scoreboard read 2-0 at the interval; it could have been worse.

2. Balde’s horror show highlights full-back frailty Alejandro Balde has shown flashes of promise during his Camp Nou career, but Thursday was a sobering reminder of his limitations. Tasked with providing width, he repeatedly surrendered possession with wayward crosses, and when Atleti countered, the space behind him resembled a motorway. Giuliano Simeone ghosted past him for one chance after Balde had gifted him a two-yard head-start, a moment that summed up the 21-year-old’s night. With Gerard Martin the only alternative on the books, Flick faces a selection dilemma that could define the rest of the season.

3. Spanish officiating under the microscope again An eight-minute VAR stoppage for a marginal offside, two red-card incidents involving Simeone on Balde that went unpunished, and a string of baffling whistles turned a one-sided contest into a stop-start affair. In a competition that prides itself on drama, the officials stole the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, raising fresh concerns about Spain’s credibility among Europe’s elite leagues.

Atletico, unbeaten in nine of their last 12 Thursday fixtures, now hold a commanding advantage ahead of the return leg. Barcelona, who had won eight of their previous nine away matches and 11 of their last 12 Copa trips, must somehow overturn the deficit without the momentum they carried into the Metropolitano. On this evidence, that prospect looks bleak.