Atletico Madrid defeats Barcelona 4-0 in Copa del Rey semi-final first leg

Atlético Madrid secured a 4-0 victory over Barcelona at the Metropolitano Stadium in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. The home team established their lead entirely in the first half, beginning with an own goal by Eric Garcia in the 6th minute. Antoine Griezmann added a second goal in the 14th minute, followed by strikes from Ademola Lookman in the 33rd minute and Julian Alvarez in stoppage time. Barcelona struggled to respond throughout the match, having a shot hit the post and a goal disallowed following a VAR review. In the 86th minute, Barcelona's Eric Garcia was sent off by referee Munuera, further compounding the team's difficulties. The result marks Barcelona's heaviest defeat of the current season. The return leg is scheduled to take place at the Camp Nou on March 3rd. In the other semi-final bracket, Real Sociedad holds a 1-0 lead over Athletic Bilbao ahead of their second leg on March 4th.