By Sid Lowe, at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, and Ed Aarons, at the Gtech Community Stadium
You must always have faith, Diego Simeone had said and so it was.
A biblical storm blew through the Metropolitano on Thursday night, leaving Barcelona torn to pieces and Atlético Madrid closer to a first Copa del Rey final in 13 years than even he could ever have believed.
Forty-five extraordinary minutes gave them a 4-0 lead to take to the second leg at Camp Nou in three weeks’ time.
An own goal from Eric García and three more, from Ademola Lookman, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez before the half-time whistle did the kind of damage that only a miracle can repair now.
Barcelona could not even begin to fix it here in a second half in which they had a goal ruled out after seven long minutes waiting on the VAR not bringing any more goals.
They then had Eric García sent off late on. It was a wonder they were still standing at all, given what had hit them from the very start.
The first foul, on 30 seconds, was a fuse lit. Giuliano Simeone flew into Alejandro Balde and his teammates followed, a wild and perfect storm unleashed that Barcelona could not escape.
For 45 frantic, breathless minutes in which Hansi Flick’s team didn’t know which way to turn, Atlético Madrid tore into them, leaving nowhere to hide, no place to take shelter.
The best thing that Barcelona could say about the first half was that it did eventually come to an end, at last offered some shelter: up the tunnel and into the dressing room. By then, they had conceded four. And it should have been more.
If that sounds absurd, it sounds just as absurd to say that the opening goal was coming when it arrived after six minutes, and via an own goal, but that was how it felt here and that feeling never went away.
Jules Koundé had to move fast to stop Alvarez getting in and Joan García saved from Simeone inside two minutes, Griezmann’s gorgeous cushioned pass into him then just the first brushstroke of what was becoming a masterpiece.
Eric Garcia Own Goal
If that was sublime, the goal was ridiculous. Eric García’s back pass slipped under Joan García’s foot and although he sprinted back and threw himself at the ball, he didn’t get there in time to keep it out.
And, anyway, Alvarez gave it to Lookman to score just in case. They weren’t going to stop there either, the smell of blood too strong: streaming into the wide space beyond Barcelona’s high line, screeching into every tackle, first to every ball.
Barcelona were caught in some kind of vortex, a nightmare, trapped on the page of a Where’s Wally: everywhere they looked, there was a red and white shirt.
On the left, Lookman flew past them. On the right Simeone, a neck-bulging, leg-whirring, heart-thumping Tasmanian devil of a footballer, flew past them.
Atléti’s right-back Nahuel Molina, bombing in from behind, flew past them too.
Left-back Matteo Ruggeri resisted the urge to run, and instead successfully denied Lamine Yamal any place to play.
Koke and Marcos Llorente dominated the middle. Alvarez was … well, Barcelona didn’t know where he was. Griezmann made it all make sense, subtle in the storm. He also scored the second after just 13 minutes.
As if to underline how complete Atlético were, the part of all of them played, the goal started with goalkeeper Juan Musso delivering a fabulous long pass to release Lookman on the left.
Lookman found Alvarez, whose speared ball found the wide space on the other side. Molina slipped it in to Griezmann to steer into the net.
Diego Simeone turned to the supporters, demanding they play their part and they did, never falling silent, not even when Fermín López hit the bar soon after. They were the soundtrack, the roar, the rolling thunder in a storm that kept on coming.
Griezmann might have taken more time over a chance made by Lookman and Llorente, but only 30 seconds later he and Molina made another clear opportunity for Alvarez.
This time, Koundé cleared off the line. Twenty-two minutes in and it was Atlético’s sixth shot, all of them clear sights of goal.
From their seventh, a couple of minutes later, Griezmann struck over. Again, Giuliano Simeone had raced free into space.
Lookman Scores To Make It 3-0
From their eighth, it was 3-0. And, yes, again, Simeone flew up the right to make it happen, Griezmann opening the cage and setting him free again. From Simeone to Alvarez and on to Lookman to steer home.
Flick took off Marc Casadó soon after, pulling him close to offer an explanation. Casadó had been booked for desperately taking down Simeone who was escaping again but, besides, Barcelona had to do something, anything.
But although López got in soon after, Musso saved that and Atlético went back to what they were doing, extending a lead that was already barely believable, ripping Barcelona’s left side open yet again.
This time Molina made it, the ball going all the way to the other side where Lookman laid it back. And, from the edge of the area, Alvarez hit a perfect finish that was a release too, the ball taking all his troubles with it. Under pressure and out of form of late, Alvarez had needed this. They all had.
On the touchline, Diego Simeone set off on a sprint, his head in his hands. Alvarez pointed to the stands, liberated. Koke screamed.
All over the place, players ran, roaring. It wasn’t over, the tie not even a quarter done, but it felt that way, the unimaginable suddenly real, faith restored.
Brentford’s Lewis-Potter Equalizing Header Hands Man City Huge Chance To Catch Arsenal
This was billed as a test of Arsenal’s mettle after Manchester City had picked themselves off the canvas against Liverpool at Anfield to reignite the title race.
But having seen their lead at the top whittled down to just three points since the weekend, Mikel Arteta’s side showed their fallibility as they were held by a dogged Brentford side who felt that they should have even claimed victory.
Just when they needed to put in a statement performance, Arsenal were edgy throughout and struggled to create anything of note until Noni Madueke opened the scoring.
Keane Lewis-Potter’s equaliser that came from a Michael Kayode long throw was fully deserved as Keith Andrews’ side showed exactly why they are enjoying such a successful season since he stepped up to replace Thomas Frank last summer.
Had Igor Thiago not blazed over in injury-time after Cristhian Mosquera and then Declan Rice had both made last-ditch tackles, it could have been even worse for Arsenal.
Gabriel Martinelli could also have won it late on but he was denied by a diving save from Caoimhín Kelleher.
After three successive runner-up finishes, it promises to be an anxiety-filled run-in for their long-suffering supporters.
Arteta had insisted before kickoff that his players would be able to shout out the noise despite City – as Pep Guardiola has put it – now breathing down their necks after their win over Fulham on Wednesday night.
“For seven months we have been doing that. We are used to it,” said the Arsenal manager.
But the absences of William Saliba and Kai Havertz due to illness and a muscle injury that the Germany forward picked up in the win over Sunderland, proved to be vital as Arteta’s side looked jittery in defence and lacked creativity in attack.
Eberechi Eze, who started for the first time in the Premier League for two months, looks a shadow of the player who scored a hat-trick in the north London derby back in November and was unsurprisingly hooked for Martin Ødegaard at half-time. The England forward’s World Cup hopes are in serious jeopardy.
The usually unflappable Gabriel Magalhães betrayed some of Arsenal’s early nerves when he passed the ball straight out for a corner in the third minute.
Battle Of Set-pieces
Even at that stage, it looked set to be a battle of the set-pieces given both sides’ excellence in that department. Andrews had promised that his team like to “create chaos” and that was evident from their physical approach to every dead-ball situation in an attempt to unsettle their opponents. The former Republic of Ireland midfielder earned himself an early booking after protesting a decision that went against his side.
It was Gabriel who had the first sight of goal in the 10th minute when his header from a Rice corner was cleared by Sepp van den Berg.
Brentford’s first opportunity came when David Raya gifted possession to Mathias Jensen as he attempted to launch a quick break. The Dane’s cross picked out Igor Thiago perfectly but somehow Raya was able to redeem himself against his former club by making a tremendous point blank save.
Brentford visibly grew in confidence and started to enjoy more possession, with Eze struggling to have an impact in his No 10 role.
Viktor Gyökeres was full of energy but found himself isolated as Arsenal’s attacks lacked urgency.
Arteta showed his frustration when Martín Zubimendi gave the ball away cheaply five minutes before half-time, although at least Arsenal started to look more threatening before the break.
Chances were few and far between, however, with a shanked effort from Lewis-Potter summing up the quality on show.
There was a heart-stopping moment for Arsenal at the start of the second half when Lewis-Potter jinked his way past Jurriën Timber and it required a timely intervention from Gabriel to block Igor Thiago’s shot. They continued to pen Brentford back but still hadn’t managed a shot on target after an hour, with a strike from Ødegaard sailing into the stands. “Top of the league, you’re having a laugh,” mocked the Brentford fans.
Their jeers were silenced less than a minute later when Madueke – not exactly renowned for his heading ability – rose to meet Piero Hincapié’s excellent cross and directed his header across a helpless Kelleher.
Brentford Equalize
Lewis-Potter should have equalised almost immediately from a corner but headed wide as the game finally came alive.
Kayode pinched the ball off Gyökeres’ toe just as he was about to score before Raya saved from Igor Thiago at the other end.
Gabriel – having escaped being sent off when he chopped down Dango Ouattara after picking up an early yellow card – brilliantly blocked a shot from the marauding Kayode.
Fittingly, it was the Italian’s long throw that caused panic in the Arsenal penalty area and allowed Lewis-Potter to equalise after Van den Berg’s flick-on that would have done a certain Steve Bould proud.
“Set-piece FC,” sang the jubilant Brentford fans as Arsenal’s were left to fret over whether this could end up being yet another season with a disappointing twist in the tail.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Eric Garcia (right) is shown a yellow card for fouling Álex Baena, which was later upgraded to a red.
