Atlético Madrid delivered a stunning 4-0 thrashing of Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal at the Metropolitano Stadium. The hosts scored four times in a dominant first half, with goals from Eric García, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, and Julián Álvarez.

Barcelona's collapse began when goalkeeper Joan García made a costly error in the seventh minute, allowing Lookman to score after García's attempted clearance crossed the line. Despite an early save from Giuliano Simeone, Joan García's mistake set the tone for a disastrous evening. Barcelona thought they'd pulled one back in the second half through Pau Cubarsí, but VAR ruled it offside after an eight-minute review.

Barcelona's misery was compounded when Eric García received a red card in the 85th minute for a foul on Julián Álvarez, leaving the LaLiga leaders with a mountain to climb in the return leg. The emphatic victory gives Atlético a commanding advantage heading into the second leg, while Barcelona must regroup after a humiliating defeat that exposed significant defensive vulnerabilities.