Barcelona: Atletico Madrid fought back from two goals down to secure a dramatic 4-4 draw against Barcelona in a pulsating Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Tuesday.

Atletico took an early lead with goals from Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann within the first six minutes. However, Barcelona responded in style, showing their attacking prowess with a stunning performance. Pedri Gonzalez sparked the fightback, followed by goals from Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Robert Lewandowski, putting Barcelona 4-2 ahead.

Despite the setback, Atletico refused to give up, with Marcos Llorente scoring late to reduce the deficit. In the dying moments of the match, Alexander Sorloth netted a dramatic equalizer in the 93rd minute, leaving the tie wide open ahead of the return leg at the Metropolitano Stadium on April 2.

"It’s a terrible result when you go 4-2 up... we need to learn to be more cautious," said Pedri, reflecting on the late collapse. "We started poorly, but I'll focus on how the team reacted. When we’re ahead, we need to be calmer... it will be tough in the second leg, but we will go there to win."

Atletico coach Diego Simeone praised his team's resilience and spirit, especially the impact of his substitutes. "We showed enormous competitive spirit," said Simeone. "The changes freshened up the team, and I loved the spirit the lads showed. As the game went on, we started to feel more comfortable."

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick made the bold decision to leave top scorer Robert Lewandowski out of the starting lineup, opting for Ferran Torres in a false nine role.

Atletico, despite facing a busy fixture schedule, came out strong, taking the lead in the first minute through Alvarez, who tapped in Griezmann's flicked cross. They doubled their lead in the sixth minute, when Kounde’s error led to a brilliant pass from Alvarez to Griezmann, who found the net despite pressure from Barcelona's Alejandro Balde.

Barcelona dominated much of the first half, with Torres missing a golden chance before they struck twice in quick succession. Pedri pulled one back, assisted by Kounde, before Cubarsi equalized from a corner.

In the second half, despite some dangerous moments, including a disallowed goal for Sorloth, Barcelona took control. Lamine Yamal's dazzling run down the wing created an opportunity for Lewandowski, who calmly finished to put Barca ahead.

Atletico refused to give up, and Llorente’s superb strike in the 84th minute gave them hope, before Sorloth's last-minute finish from a Samuel Lino assist capped off a dramatic equalizer.

"It was crazy, a lot of goals," said Alvarez, summarizing the wild encounter.

Flick was pleased with the overall performance but disappointed by the final scoreline. "We’re really disappointed with the result, but the game we played was fantastic. We dominated for 75 to 80 minutes, but we need to address the goals we conceded," he said.

The other semi-final first leg will see Real Madrid travel to Real Sociedad on Wednesday. AFP