Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman continued his amazing form in Spain, scoring and providing an assist as Atletico Madrid thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal clash.
Just like he did in the quarterfinal against Real Betis, Lookman was very instrumental once again as Diego Simone’s side displayed a masterclass in clinical finishing, seeing off the defending champions to give themselves a massive advantage ahead of the second leg.
Hansi Flick’s side gave themselves a mountain to climb when Eric Garcia scored an own goal just seven minutes in. Under no pressure, the defender passed the ball back to goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was unable to control, allowing the ball go past him and into the net to give the hosts an early lead.
Atletico took full advantage of Barcelona’s shaky defense to add more goals. In the 14th minute, the hosts doubled their advantage as Nahuel Molina slipped in Griezmann with a clever pass, before the Frenchman drove the ball forward and placed a brilliant shot into the bottom corner, making it 2-0.
More Read
Despite being two goals up, Atletico continued to push for a third. They saw a huge chance cleared off the line in the 23rd minute and they missed another big opportunity on the half-hour mark. However in the 33rd minute, Lookman got his goal and the hosts’ third, finishing off a beautiful team move in style.
The move started from the right hand side where Simeone received the ball after some nice link-up play. The Argentinian then passed to Alvarez who unselfishly found Lookman. The Nigerian International made no mistake after receiving the ball, smashing it into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as Atletico added a fourth just before half time. This time, Lookman turned provider, teeing up Alvarez who hit a powerful shot into the net, ending Barcelona’s very slim hopes of a comeback.
The second half was a total opposite of the first as neither side were able to find the net. Barcelona thought they had a goal back in the 51st minute, but after a long VAR check, the goal was cancelled, keeping the score line at 4-0.
The three goal scorers Lookman, Griezmann and Alvarez were all withdrawn minutes after the hour mark. Despite the changes, Atletico maintained their professional approach, protecting their comfortable lead. Barcelona then went down to ten men in the 85th minute as Eric Garcia was sent off for a foul on Alex Baena, ending the visitor’s miserable night on an even worse note.
With an amazing result achieved in the first leg, Diego Simeone’s side will look to finish the job when both sides face in the second leg on Tuesday, March 3rd.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
