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Barcelona logo
Copa del Rey | Semi-Finals
Feb 7, 2017 at 8pm UK
 
Atletico Madrid logo

1-1

Suarez (43')
Roberto (57'), Suarez (90')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Gameiro (83')
Carrasco (70'), Luis (90')

Live Commentary: Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's coverage as Barcelona earn a place in the Copa del Rey final following a 1-1 second-leg semi-final draw with Atletico Madrid.
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Barcelona took on Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash at the Camp Nou having already established a 2-1 advantage over Diego Simeone's side in the opening game.

Thankfully for the hosts, a solitary goal from Luis Suarez was enough to earn a 1-1 draw in Catalonia, as Luis Enrique's men secured a place in the final for a fourth season running.

Relive all of the action with our minute-by-minute updates below.


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Good evening everyone and thank you for joining us as we bring you live coverage of Barcelona's second-leg clash with Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.

Enrique's men hold the upper hand in this contest following a 2-1 victory in the first leg away at the Vicente Calderon, following two sensational solo efforts from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Madrid did manage to give themselves a lifeline through Antoine Griezmann's second-half effort and they will be hoping they can overturn the deficit to move into the finals away from home.

Barcelona will fancy themselves as favourites here, though, especially given Madrid's indifferent season. Should Barca make it through tonight, they will have featured in the Copa final for a fourth time in succession.

If Enrique and company were to secure victory in the final, Barcelona would become the first team in over half a century to lift the trophy three times in a row.

We're expecting both sides to be at relative full strength here, although Neymar is already missing through an accumulation of yellow cards. Barcelona could hand recalls to both Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta at some point tonight, but whether or not Enrique will take that risk remains to be seen at the moment. As for the visitors, Atleti are without the suspended Gabi, while Fernando Torres will be aiming to earn a starting place following his important showing off the bench in the first leg.

Time for some team news now...

BARCELONA STARTING XI: Cillessen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Rakitic, Gomes, Turan; Messi, L Suarez, D Suarez

BARCELONA SUBSTITUTES: Masip, Busquets, Iniesta, Mascherano, Alcacer, Digne, Vidal

ATLETICO MADRID STARTING XI: Moya; Juanfran, Godin, Savic, Luis; Koke, Saul, Gaitan, Carrasco; Griezmann, Torres

ATLETICO MADRID SUBSTITUTES: Correa, Vrsaljko, Hernandez, Gameiro, Partey, Moreira, Moreno

So Enrique has played things safe with both Busquets and Iniesta... Instead, the hosts will operate with a holding three of Ivan Rakitic, Andre Gomes and Arda Turan, while up top Barcelona lead with a front-three of Denis Suarez, Luis Suarez and Messi.

As for the visiting side, Diego Simeone has opted to bring Torres into his starting XI and he will work alongside Griezmann in what looks to be a conventional four-four-two system. Yannick Carrasco has been given he nod too and he will aim to make an impact from out wide, while Kevin Gameiro has had to settle for a place on the bench.

Some sections of the press were beginning to ask some serious questions about Barcelona's concentration at the end of 2016, but they seem to have responded by turning in some clinical showings of late. Enrique's men are now undefeated since 5 January having put together seven wins and two draws across a schedule of La Liga and Copa fixtures.

Over the weekend Barca notched an impressive 3–0 La Liga triumph over Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou in a game that saw them reach a total of 25 goals in their last nine matches, having conceded just six along the way.

That victory almost came at a huge cost when Gerard Pique limped off injured, but he is straight back into the starting XI here much to the probable delight of all Barcelona fans.

The inclusion of Torres this evening should be an interesting ploy from Simeone. The Spanish forward seemed to change the game entirely when he was introduced during the first leg and he has since backed that up by scoring twice in the club's 2-0 win over Leganes at the weekend. Atleti's selection this evening suggests one thing: they are looking for goals.

What makes this spectacle even more intriguing is that the other semi-final sees Alaves and Celta Vigo go head-to-head tomorrow, potentially making the winner of this tie strong favourites to take home the trophy - something that will particularly interest Simeone as he looks for ways to galvanise his side after a season that has teetered on being considered average when compared to their league finishes in recent years.

With the score currently sitting a 2-1 in favour of Barca (who also have two away goals), Atleti will know that they need to win here and score at least two goals in the process in order to gain progression into the final. That surely means we'll get to see an open Atleti side, which could conceivably play into the hosts' hands too. Simeone clearly has a difficult task on his hand - does he go for goals early, or sit tight and wait to make a push later on in the game?

Recent statistics do not do any favours to Madrid either. If you were to take any of Barca's last sixteen results at home to Atletico across all competitions, they would do enough in every one of those games to reach the final in May.

Let's not forget either that this stadium has been a real thorn in the side of Atleti - they have not managed a win here in 11 years. That said, the last time Madrid did achieve victory here in 2006 Torres was able to bag a memorable brace.

Enrique has been focused on this fixture for a while having rested players at the weekend, and he clearly wants to make it four finals in a row for the club. Here's what he told reporters recently, according to Sky Sports News: "My players are experts in big games. The Copa del Rey is a very good competition for Barca and we are excited to reach the final once again."

Barcelona has had a fair bit of rain today, but things appear to have cleared up just in time for this fixture. The players are looking at temperatures of around 14 degrees.

Here's a quick snap from the ground a little earlier, with both sides going through their final warm-ups:


We've got 10 minutes to go until kickoff here and it is time for me to make a prediction. Barcelona are missing a few key men, but those two goals from the first leg will likely prove vital. Atleti will need to come at the hosts at some point during the contest and Barca will be aiming to make them pay on the counter. I'm backing the Catalan club to take this game 2-1 and progress with a 4-2 aggregate victory...

Simeone has been clear on what his side needs to do to achieve progression tonight. Here's what he recently told reporters in the run-up to the game: "The only result that would satisfy me is to reach the final. We need to play with the same high intensity we have shown at certain times of the season. The reality is that we are facing a very strong team when playing at home. The best in the world, probably. They will be ready for our high pressing and prepared to hit us on the counter-attack."

We're just a few minutes away from kickoff now and the Camp Nou is bubbling nicely...

The players are now emerging from the tunnel to rapturous noise from the crowd, this certainly promises to be an enthralling contest.

KICKOFF! Atletico get things moving in the first half, kicking from right to left in their red and white strip, while Barca feature in their typical claret and blue.

Madrid have warmed to the opening exchanges nicely and they almost come up trumps when the ball falls kindly in the box to Griezmann, who sees his snap-shot thunder back off Pique before reaching Cillessen.

As expected, the visitors have begun like a house on fire - lots of high pressing and intense work in the Barca half. Griezmann is able to win a cheap free kick off Gomes, but the cross into the box is easily cleared by Umtiti inside the area.

SHOT! Warning signs now from the home side... Turan does brilliantly to thread a ball into the path of Suarez, who turns inside and flashes a shot down towards the near post, where Moya produces a standout reaction save.

CHANCE! Barca lose possession from the corner far too tamely and the ball is worked out wide to Carrasco, who beats his man with a neat cut-back inside the box, before flashing his shot straight into the palms of a thankful Cillessen. Game on!

Those two chances perhaps sum up how this game is likely to pan out - Atleti need to go for this, while Barca will be happy to sit and wait to make their move on the break.

Madrid get their first real chance to hold the ball up in possession and they work things out to Luiz on the left flank. The full-back crosses into the middle for Torres, but Pique gets across in time to cover. Barcelona will have to be careful not to sit too deep.

You wonder how long this Simeone side will be able to keep up this intensity, especially with Barca's speed on the break. So far the early pressure is working for the visitors and they have perhaps shaded these opening moments.

Some intense pressing on Messi sees the away side steal possession in the middle before breaking away through Carrasco down the left. The winger shows great pace, but his delivery into the box is poor and leaves both Griezmann and Torres unserviced.

Denis Suarez is almost made a fool of as he loses the ball on the edge of the box following more pressing, leaving Koke to flash a shot at an incensed Cillessen in the home goal. The visiting tactics seem to be working for now...

The midfield areas are going to be key as the contest progresses. As it stands, Madrid are running the show in the middle, especially when snapping into tackles in order to win back the ball. You might even argue that the hosts appear a little rattled at the moment. The opening goal is going to be crucial.

SHOT! Filipe Luis is given far too much space on the edge of the Barca box and the full-back fizzes are wild shot towards Cillessen, which lashes into the side-netting.

Still Barca are unable to escape their own half as this Atleti pressure builds and builds. The visiting midfield is working like a school of piranhas and coming up trumps thus far. The hosts have barely had a sniff in the middle and that's not because of their desire to soak up possession, they just haven't been able to keep hold of the ball at all.

Simeone is going wild on the touchline... The ball is worked backed comfortably to Moya, who is almost caught napping by some pressing from Suarez, who forces the keeper to kick aimlessly into the stands. Messi eventually finds possession on the edge of the area, but his shot is tame and easily smother by the Atleti stopper.

This contest has fallen into a slight war of attrition in the past few minutes, with Barcelona still struggling to find their feet in the opening half. Atletico might be a tad frustrated having not been able to convert this mounting pressure into an all-important goal.

Finally Barca are able to show some ingenuity on the edge of the box, as Turan throws an almost-perfect dummy for the run of Suarez, although Savic reads the play perfectly and steps in to bring an end to the move.

The crowd volume increases a few notches as the ball loops in the air and falls to Messi on the edge of the area. In typical Madrid fashion, the visitors have three men on the Argentine, though, leaving Atleti to snatch the ball away and clear the danger at the vital moment.

The early tempo has arguably dropped out of this contest at the moment and that's probably credit to Barcelona. They haven't been able to get a look in for much of this half, but they have now slowed proceedings down in an attempt to counter the visitors' intensity. The hosts have the clock on their side and they are starting to make that show.

GOAL! BARCELONA 1-0 ATLETICO MADRID (LUIS SUAREZ)

How's that for a kick in the teeth? The home side have been pretty vacant during this contest but they now have a lead in the second leg. Gomes finally turns up to thread a remarkable ball between the lines into Messi, who drills a low show towards Moya. The Madrid stopper can only push the shot back into open play, where Suarez is lurking off the back of the last defender in order to pounce and tap into an almost empty net.

HALF TIME: BARCELONA 1-0 ATLETICO MADRID

Enrique will be absolutely thrilled with that late goal given that his side have been largely unable to get a look in. Atleti dominated much of that first half and now find themselves behind. They still need those two goals regardless, but they'll now need three if they want to advance inside the next 45 minutes.

Simeone will have a tough talk to give now considering that his side were essentially very impressive in the first period. They deployed an impressive pressing game and had Barcelona on the rocks at points. The visitors still need two goals to change things, but Barca will be eyeing the counter in order to wrap things up in the second period.

The players are now re-emerging from the tunnel and we will be back underway shortly...

KICKOFF! Barcelona get things moving again in the second half. They currently lead 3-1 on aggregate and will fancy themselves reaching the final for the fourth time in four campaigns.

This seems more like the Barcelona of old. Some neat interplay on the edge of the area does for Godin, who over-stretches and injures himself in the process. The defender is subsequently replaced by Lucas Hernandez at the back... Nico Gaitan is also swapped for Angel Correa.

Gomes has grown increasingly important in this game and Atleti afford him far too much space on the edge of the area. Luckily for the visitors, his shot from distance goes flying over the bar without troubling Moya.

CHANCE! Atleti need to watch themselves in this half... Barca nearly make them pay with a blistering counter attack started by Cillessen. The ball eventually finds Suarez, who is tackled at the vital moment by Savic when looking to pull the trigger on the edge of the box.

SHOT! Madrid still haven't given this up yet and Carrasco makes good progress down the centre, where his shot swerves wide before being able to trouble the Barcelona stopper.

History is likely to be on Barcelona's side this evening. Stats show that the club has not lost any of their previous 68 games in which Luis Suarez has scored.

RED CARD! Do we have a game on now? Sergi Roberto picks up his second yellow of the night following a late challenge on Filipe Luis. It's perhaps a tad harsh but he's gone straight down the tunnel...

CLOSE! Wow, pure controversy here... The linesman has made an absolute shocker at the Camp Nou. Atleti produce the perfect move as Carrasco slots in Griezmann beyond the Barca defence, who then turns adroitly before lashing into the far corner beyond a helpless Cillessen. It should count, but somehow the linesman has flagged for offside and I bet Simeone is having kittens.

What have Madrid got in the tank now? They should be level and probably deserve to be too, but for the linesman's flag. They need at least two goals in the next 25 minutes otherwise they're heading home.

And still they come... Madrid break forward through Juanfran down the right channel now, although his cut-back into the box is cleared frantically by Umtiti as Barca earn a bit of a breather.

CHANCE! Hernandez does well down the left and he turns the ball to the front post for Griezmann, only for Pique to get across in the nick of time.

RED CARD! We're now even as Carrasco goes in late on Turan, leaving the winger to pick up his second yellow of the night despite trying to put the breaks on. A little too over-eager, really... It's 10 against 10 much to the delight of Barcelona.

Madrid are beginning to tire now and you wonder whether Barca might just steal another goal here. The visitors have been desperately unlucky after conceding just before half time and also having a legitimate goal chalked out for offside.

CROSSBAR! Almost an incredible piece of finish from Messi. Barcelona have a free kick lined up around 20 yards out from goal. The Argentine puts his laces through it and sends the ball swirling through the wall and back off the Madrid bar. That would have been some goal.

PENALTY TO ATLETICO MADRID!

PENALTY MISSED!

Justice done, maybe? The penalty looks a bit of a long shot to be honest as Gameiro goes down under the slightest off follow-through touches from Pique. The Madrid striker steps up from the spot, only to rattle his effort off the crossbar and over.

GOAL! BARCELONA 1-1 ATLETICO MADRID (KEVIN GAMEIRO)

DISALLOWED GOAL FOR BARCELONA!

A crazy few minutes here as Umtiti goes to sleep at the back, allowing Griezmann to free Gameiro, who then beats the Barcelona keeper to bring Madrid back into this contest. It appears as though their hard-work is almost instantly undone when Suarez goes up the other end to score beyond Moya, only for his strike to be ruled out for offside. We're setup for an intense finish here!

RED CARD FOR LUIS SUAREZ! The Uruguayan will miss the final now as he is shown a straight red for an elbow on Koke. A crazy moment to end a crazy game!

We're going to have five minutes of additional time at the Camp Nou...

Madrid are throwing absolutely everything forward now and Barca are arguably on the ropes. Will we have one more moment of controversy tonight?

FULL TIME: BARCELONA 1-1 ATLETICO MADRID

BARCELONA REACH THE FINAL OF THE COPA DEL REY

What an incredible evening of football and it's a shame that things ended in such an aggressive manner. You have to feel for Madrid as on any other night they might have just found a route back into the contest. You cannot forget that they also had a perfectly legitimate goal ruled out for offside too. Barcelona won't mind, though! They've now reached the final for a fourth consecutive time and have the chance to win the title three times in a row. That's going to be all from me tonight, thank you for joining us.

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Denis Suarez in action during the Champions League game between Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach on December 6, 2016
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