Barcelona faces a daunting task after suffering a crushing 0-4 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals at the Metropolitano on Thursday. The heavy loss leaves Hansi Flick’s side with a steep hill to climb if they hope to reach the final.
All four Atletico goals came in the first half, forcing Barcelona to chase a significant deficit when the second leg takes place at Spotify Camp Nou on March 3. Despite the pressure, Flick remains confident that his team can bounce back. The question now is whether Barcelona can overturn such a huge deficit in front of their home fans.
Flick Admits Barcelona Learned a Hard Lesson
Barcelona’s nightmare began with an own goal from Eric Garcia, giving Atletico an early lead. The visitors struggled to recover as Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, and Julian Alvarez all found the net before halftime.
Flick did not shy away from criticizing his team’s first-half performance.
“We did not play well as a team in the first half. The spacing between players was too wide. We did not press as we wanted,” Flick admitted.
“In the first 45 minutes or more, we learned a hard lesson. Sometimes that is useful at the right moment. Perhaps today was that moment,” he added.
Flick Remains Proud of His Barcelona Squad
While the heavy defeat is undeniably disappointing, Hansi Flick defended his squad overall, praising their efforts throughout the season despite setbacks.
“I am still proud of my team, maybe not in the first 45 minutes today, but across the season. Considering how many injuries we’ve had and how we adapted, today’s loss is heavy, but I am proud of the team,” Flick said.
“We will bounce back. We have to start fresh for the second leg. When you look at Atletico, they showed more desire, more passion, which is what I expect from the first minute. We did not show that in the first half.”
Flick emphasized that the second leg provides a new opportunity. “We will fight for it. If we can win 2-0 in each half, that is our target. We need full support from the Camp Nou fans, and then we will see what happens.”
Missed Opportunities in the Second Half
Barcelona showed signs of improvement after halftime. Pau Cubarsi appeared to score in the 51st minute, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review that lasted over six minutes.
The decision frustrated Flick. “What can I say? We start with a yellow card. Usually, on the first challenge, Alejandro Balde is fouled, that’s a yellow card, definitely,” he explained.
“Then everything changes. They invited us to play like that. Everything becomes different. Regarding the disallowed goal, it’s chaotic for me. They waited seven minutes—seriously? They found something in seven minutes? Okay,” Flick continued.
“Looking at the situation, clearly it was not offside. Maybe they saw something different. If so, tell us. There was no communication. It was very poor here.”
Barcelona Faces a Tough Road Ahead
Barcelona’s woes worsened when Eric Garcia received a red card near the end of the match, leaving the team with 10 men for the final five minutes plus 10 minutes of added time.
Despite the 4-goal aggregate deficit, the tie is far from over. The second leg at Camp Nou gives Barcelona a final chance to respond, especially with full support from their fans.
With Flick setting the target of winning 2-0 in each half, a comeback is the only path forward if Barcelona hopes to reach the final against either Real Sociedad or Athletic Club.
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