In an unforgettable football evening on the field of the “Metropolitano” stadium, Atletico Madrid achieved a resounding and historic victory over Barcelona with a score of (4-0) in the first leg of the semi-finals of the King’s Cup, putting a firm foot forward towards the final match before the awaited second leg at “Camp Nou”.
The big result was not the only thing that dominated the sporting scene, but rather the tactical “football malice” adopted by Argentine coach Diego Simeone. The stadium officials increased the amount of water used to irrigate the grass before the start of the match and between halftime, which led to a significant increase in the speed and slippage of the ball, which confused the plans of the “Blaugrana” players, who found it difficult to adapt to the speed of the bouncing ball.
The superiority of the “Rojiblancos” and their exploitation of the field conditions was embodied in the first goal. The Barcelona goalkeeper made a grave mistake when he failed to control a ball rebounding from one of his team’s defenders, which slipped from under his foot due to the wetness of the grass and landed in the net. This early goal paved the way for Atletico’s fierce attack, as star Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann emerged in leading organized attacks that penetrated the Catalan team’s shaky defenses that night.
The atmosphere after the match was not free of tension. Dutch star Frenkie de Jong launched a scathing attack on the refereeing decisions, describing what happened in the match as a “scandal.” On the other hand, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had sparked controversy before the match with sarcastic statements towards rival Real Madrid, but he found himself facing a harsh lesson from Simeone on the field.
With this result, Barcelona needs a “football miracle” in the second leg to overcome this huge difference, while Atletico Madrid appears to be at the peak of its technical and mental level to move forward towards winning the title.
