Overview
- Atlético Madrid raced to a 4-0 first‑half lead in the Copa del Rey semi‑final first leg through an Eric García own goal, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julián Álvarez, before García was sent off late on.
- Pau Cubarsí’s effort for Barcelona was ruled out after an extended VAR check, with the Technical Committee of Referees later citing a player‑modeling error that forced manual offside line drawing.
- Interim president Rafa Yuste called the delay a disgrace and said the club will seek explanations, with local reports indicating Barcelona are weighing a formal complaint to the RFEF.
- Hansi Flick and senior players held tactical discussions the next day, with squad members urging greater pragmatism given injuries to key attackers such as Pedri and Raphinha.
- The return leg is set for early March at Camp Nou, while elsewhere Real Madrid confirmed Kylian Mbappé trained with the group and is available to face Real Sociedad.