Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman was on target again as Atlético Madrid delivered a stunning 4-0 demolition of Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
In a dramatic first half that produced four goals, Diego Simeone’s side overwhelmed their visitors and put one foot firmly in the final.
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Atlético opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes courtesy of an own goal by Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García.
Eight minutes later, the hosts doubled their advantage. Nahuel Molina cut the ball back into the box for Antoine Griezmann, who calmly found the far corner against his former club to send the home crowd into celebration.
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Barcelona’s defensive woes continued as Atlético made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute. Another lapse at the back allowed Julián Álvarez to slip in Lookman, who finished confidently to register his second goal in consecutive Copa del Rey matches.
Álvarez compounded Barcelona’s misery in first-half stoppage time, ending his recent goal drought with a powerful strike from the edge of the area to complete a remarkable opening 45 minutes.
Lookman provided the assist for Alvarez showing he not only scores but also create opportunities for others.
According to Opta statistics, it was only the second time since the 2004/05 season that Barcelona had conceded four goals in the first half of a match. The previous occasion came in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich in 2020.
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Barcelona thought they had pulled one back early in the second half when Pau Cubarsí found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR review. The visitors’ frustration deepened late on when Eric García was sent off following a VAR intervention that upgraded his initial yellow card to a red.
The emphatic result gives Atlético a commanding advantage ahead of the second leg at the Spotify Camp Nou, while Barcelona now face an uphill battle to keep their hopes of silverware alive.
For Lookman, the night further underlined his growing importance in Diego Simeone’s attack and continued a fine run of form for the Nigerian international.
