Barcelona set up a blockbuster Copa del Rey final against archrival Real Madrid after edging Atletico Madrid 1-0 in a tense battle at the Metropolitano on Wednesday, sealing a 5-4 aggregate triumph.
After an eight-goal thriller in the first leg, Ferran Torres delivered the decisive blow in the 27th minute, latching onto Lamine Yamal’s pass before drilling a low strike past Juan Musso into the bottom left corner. The victory sends Barcelona to Seville later this month, where El Clasico glory awaits.
Atletico pushed for the equalizer in the second half, with substitute Alexander Sorloth missing a sitter from close range, but Barca held on to secure a narrow win.
“Winning here already tastes great, so you can imagine scoring the winner that books a ticket to a final,” Torres told TVE.
“The match was a war, a final was at stake. We did everything we could, and it was in our hands to get the victory and that place in the final.”
After Real Madrid fought back to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw against Real Sociedad on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win, Wednesday’s result set up a Clasico between Real and Barca in the Copa del Rey final, something that has not happened in more than a decade.
Real and Barca have met in the Copa del Rey final on 18 occasions, with Real leading the rivalry with 11 wins, including a 2-1 triumph in the 2014 final in Valencia.
Barcelona thrashed Real both times they met this season – a 4-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga in October and a 5-2 victory in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia in January.
Both sides remain in contention for three trophies this season, as they are through to the Champions League quarterfinals and locked in what seems to be a two-horse race for the La Liga title.
Barcelona lead La Liga with 66 points, three ahead of Real, with third-place Atletico six points further back with nine games left.
Real will travel to London to face Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals next week, while Barca will host Borussia Dortmund. The rivals will meet in the Copa del Rey final on April 26 at La Cartuja Stadium.
Eliminated from the Champions League, Atletico’s season suffered another massive blow with its cup exit, extending a winless run to six matches and pointing toward a fourth consecutive trophyless season for Diego Simeone’s side.
“We just have to face reality as it is,” Atletico defender Jose María Gimenez told TVE.
“We’re far away from the top in La Liga, but we’re going to try until the end, and we’ll see where we stand to determine if the season is good or not.
“We thank our fans from the bottom of our hearts and apologize for those moments when we were not up to the task. Together we are one, and we are stronger. That is how it should always be and hopefully always will be.”
