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Ademola Lookman shone brightly as Atletico Madrid cruised to a commanding 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, giving Diego Simeone’s team a strong grip on the series.
The Nigerian forward played a pivotal role, scoring a goal and setting up another during a clinical first half that exploited Barcelona’s defensive vulnerabilities, leaving the reigning champions with an uphill battle for the second leg.
Early errors punish Barcelona
Barcelona’s troubles started early. Just seven minutes into the match, Eric Garcia inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. His misjudged pass back to goalkeeper Joan Garcia slipped past, resulting in an own goal.
Atletico wasted no time capitalizing on Barcelona’s early misstep. Merely seven minutes later, Nahuel Molina delivered a precise through ball to Antoine Griezmann. The French striker seized the opportunity, calmly steering the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
The home side maintained their momentum, keeping Barcelona under relentless pressure. After one shot was cleared off the line and another chance went begging, Atletico further extended their lead in the 33rd minute.
A slick passing move down the right ended with Julian Alvarez squaring for Lookman, who drilled a low finish into the corner to make it 3-0.
Lookman turns provider
Atletico struck again just before half-time. This time Lookman created the goal, setting up Alvarez for a powerful finish that effectively ended the contest before the break.
The second half was more measured, with Atletico focused on game management. Barcelona thought they had pulled one back early in the half, but a lengthy VAR review ruled out the effort.
Simeone withdrew Lookman, Griezmann and Alvarez shortly after the hour mark, preserving key players ahead of the second leg.
Barcelona’s night worsened in the 85th minute when Eric Garcia was sent off following a foul on Alex Baena.
Atletico now take a commanding four-goal advantage into the return fixture on March 3, with Barcelona requiring a near-perfect performance to overturn the deficit.