At the 34th minute, with the score at 3-0, Coach Diego Simeone turned towards Barcelona's right flank and raised three fingers towards Yamal, signifying Atletico's commanding lead. This gesture followed striker Ademola Lookman's third goal for the home team. The Argentine coach also ran along the touchline, celebrating exuberantly.
Yamal is known for his confident demeanor in major matches, particularly against Real Madrid. However, against Atletico, the 18-year-old visiting star made little impact. When provoked by Simeone, Yamal merely offered a forced smile.
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Coach Simeone taunts Yamal during Atletico's 4-0 victory over Barcelona at Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain, on the evening of 12/2. *Photo: Daily Mail*
The King's Cup semi-final first leg at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium began disastrously for Barcelona. In the 6th minute, goalkeeper Joan Garcia mishandled a back pass from Eric Garcia, resulting in an own goal attributed to Eric Garcia.
Atletico scored three more goals in the first half, courtesy of Antoine Griezmann, Lookman, and Julian Alvarez. Lookman and Alvarez notably assisted each other's scores.
Barcelona did put the ball in the net from a scramble initiated by Cubarsi, but the goal was disallowed for offside after an eight-minute VAR review. The semi-automated offside technology malfunctioned due to the dense concentration of players, forcing the referee team to manually draw the lines. Late in the match, Eric Garcia received a direct red card for a late tackle on Alex Baena, concluding a disappointing evening for the visitors.
Yamal completed the most dribbles in the match with six successful attempts, but he could not convert these into assists or goals. The Spain international created three opportunities, yet his teammates failed to capitalize.
After the match, Simeone stated that the tie was not yet decided, but Atletico "needs games like this to bring joy to the fans." Meanwhile, Coach Hansi Flick conceded that Barcelona played poorly, although he disagreed with the decision to disallow Cubarsi's goal.
The second leg will take place at Camp Nou on the evening of 3/3.
Hoang An (according to Marca)
