Atletico Madrid 0–1 FC Barcelona (4–5 Agg) Player Ratings: The Blaugrana Edge past Atletico for an El Clasico Final

It was a nervy game for FC Barcelona, as they narrowly beat Atletico Madrid 1-0, making the aggregate score 5-4, to reach the final of the Copa del Rey, thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres. They will play against rivals Real Madrid for the trophy on April 26 in Seville.

With their title charge almost coming to an end, Simeone decided to make five changes to their eleven, primarily swapping Jan Oblak with Juan Musso and Julian Alvarez returning to the side. Flick, on the other hand, made five changes, choosing to bring Cubarsi, Balde, De Jong, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres over Araujo, Martin, Garcia, Gavi, and Lewandowski, respectively.

Barcelona started the game all guns blazing in the opening minute, almost forcing Gimenez to put the ball into his net. Moments later, there was a controversial call from the referee to not send off Azpilicueta for his rash tackle on Raphinha.

Despite Barcelona dominating possession, it was an evenly poised game, with both teams playing on the front foot, leading to constant turnovers. But, it was the visitors, who opened the tally for the night as Yamal slid the ball gracefully to Ferran Torres in on the right of the box, who cleverly finished it off by beating the goalkeeper. Things got physical in the game, with multiple fouls and yellow cards getting into the picture.

Simeone made tactical changes in the break and as a result, he made three substitutions to try something different. The results were evident as the performance of his side improved and even came close to scoring the equaliser on multiple occasions.

The dirty nature of the game continued, as both teams did not shy away from getting stuck in and disrupting the play. Apart from the ruled out goal of Alexander Sorloth, no side created crystal clear chances that could have sealed the game. Hansi Flick made regular substitutions to see the game out and emerged victorious.

The La Liga campaign will resume for both sides as Atletico Madrid will prepare to travel to play against Sevilla away from home whereas FC Barcelona will be inviting Real Betis to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Here are the Atletico Madrid vs FC Barcelona Player Ratings.

Atletico Madrid Player Ratings

GK- Juan Musso – 6/10

Despite conceding, he pulled off some excellent saves that denied sure-shot goal scoring chances and kept his side in the game.

LB- Reinildo – 5/10

An inconsistent overall performance where he struggled to provide impetus going forward and was frail defensively. He even got a booking to his name in the first half itself, thus getting subbed off as part of half-time change.

CB- Robin Le Normand – 6/10

He could have gotten his name on the scoresheet as he missed a header from a set-piece scenario.

CB- Jose Gimenez – 5.5/10

He almost scored a goal into his own net in the beginning of the match itself, but was fortunate to not do it.

RB- Cesar Azpilicueta – 5/10

A rash tackle on Raphinha very early in the game got him into the books of the referee, thereby forcing him to play cautiously. He was a bit lucky to not get sent off. He was subbed off as a precaution to not lose players, thus ending his night after jut 45 minutes.

CM- Pablo Barrios – 6.5/10

He was beaten by the opposition players easily in some occasions, but he did well to regain possession in multiple instances and did not shy away to get physical in multiple instances.

CM- Rodrigo de Paul – 6/10

He got dispossessed on multiple occasions and even picked up a yellow card for a stamp on Raphinha.

LM- Giuliano Simeone- 5.5/10

A hard worker on the flank, his attacking contributions in a few instances were good when he tried to cross the ball into the box. Unfortunately, he only played for 45 minutes and got subbed off after the end of the first half.

RM- Marcos Llorente – 5/10

His overall outing was up and down as he looked good going forward in some occasions, whereas he struggled in other occasions.

ST- Antoine Griezmann – 5.5/10

He tried to make things happen, especially via set-pieces, but ultimately failed to do so.

ST- Julian Alvarez – 5.5/10

While he did well to drive the ball forward and show some flashes of creativity, he failed to make a continuous impact.

SUB- Alexander Sørloth – 6/10

The striker, known for scoring late winners, was subbed in early to turn the tide around. He thought he scored the equalizer, but unfortunately, the goal was ruled out rightfully as an offside.

SUB- Javi Galan- 6/10

The attack minded fullback was put in on the pitch to instill more discipline in his side..

SUB- Clement Lenglet – 5.5/10

He was subbed in as part of a defensive reshuffle after the end of the first half.

SUB- Nahuel Molina – 5/10

He entered the pitch to add defensive stability, but moments after his entrance, he got booked and had to play it safe.

SUB- Rodrigo Riquelme – NA

The young midfielder was put in during the late minutes to find the equaliser to push the game to added time.

Manager- Diego Simeone – 5/10

His team struggled massively to create consistent chances in the first half as they looked devoid of ideas. While there was an improvement in the second half, it was not enough to turn the tie around.

FC Barcelona Player Ratings

GK- Wojciech Szczesny – 6/10

While Atletico Madrid made many excellent runs, they did not hit many shots in the first half, thus rendering their services less valuable. But, whenever needed, he stepped in and made some excellent saves.

LB- Álex Balde – 6/10

He was strong defensively and decent going forward, as he assisted the frontline players on some occasions.

CB- Inigo Martinez – 6/10

A solid display from the veteran, as he did well to cut the attacks off cleverly, reading the game well.

CB- Pau Cubarsi – 6.5/10

Some of the passes he pulled off were extraordinary, which were pivotal to the dominating style of play Barcelona play.

RB- Jules Kounde – 6/10

An excellent performance defensively, backing it up with an equally good run forward. He could have gotten his name on the scoresheet, too.

CM- Frenkie de Jong – 7/10

He provided balance to the midfield, connecting the defensive structure to the attackers, thus helping his side maintain the rhythm. However, he got into the books of the referee in the first half.

CM- Pedri – 7/10

He was the heart of the midfield as usual, stringing passes from the deep, assisting the other attackers well during the buildup play.

CM- Fermin Lopez – 6/10

He worked hard tirelessly in the midfield often getting into physical altercations and not being afraid to get dirty.

LW- Raphinha – 7/10

He was not as omnipresent as he usually was, but he did well in certain scenarios that helped his side. He got into some good positions, but struggled to finish his chances.

ST- Ferran Torres – 7.5/10

He deputized Lewandowski well, making excellent runs into the box, having good positioning and rightfully got his goal.

RW- Lamine Yamal – 8.5/10

He was a menace as usual, playing with such conviction, getting into great positions and trying to pull off some sensational passes. He was pivotal in breaking the deadlock for his side.

SUB- Ronald Araujo – 6/10

The centreback entered the pitch to provide additional physicality, shore up the defense, and close the game out.

SUB- Eric Garcia – 6/10

The center-back came in as Flick decided to opt for a change and provide rest to Cubarsi.

SUB- Robert Lewandowski – 6/10

He was subbed in place of Ferran Torres to find the insurance goal to secure the lead.

SUB- Gerard Martin – NA

The young defender was put in place of Lamine Yamal to close out the tie with his defensive display.

Manager- Hansi Flick – 8/10

Another excellent performance in the bag as his side were excellent in all phases of the game – defending well, controlling position and creating chances.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to FC Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.