Atletico Madrid defeated defending champions Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. Despite dominating possession, passing, and attacking statistics, Barcelona failed to score, while errors and precise finishing from Atletico sealed the heavy loss. An own goal by Eric Garcia, followed by strikes from Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, and Julian Alvarez, gave the hosts a commanding lead before halftime.

Barcelona attempted to recover after the break, but a disallowed goal for offside and missed chances from Ferran Torres left them scoreless. Eric Garcia’s red card in the 85th minute ended any remaining hopes of a comeback. The Catalan side had beaten the same opponent to reach last season’s final, but this time face a steep challenge.

Barcelona must overturn a four-goal deficit in the return leg at Camp Nou on March 3 to keep their title defense alive, while Atletico Madrid move closer to a place in the final.