Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid: Five talking points from blockbuster game in the Copa del Rey

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played out a fantastic 4-4 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Tuesday (February 25). The Spanish giants put on a goal-scoring display that will please neutrals and have both sets of fans anticipating the return fixture.

Atletico Madrid opened the scoring in the first minute through Julian Alvarez before the Argentine turned provider five minutes later to set up Antoine Griezemann. La Blaugrana fired back quickly, with Pedri scoring in the 19th minute. Raphinha found Pau Cubarsi (21) and Inigo Martinez (41) with well-delivered corners to make it 3-2 for Barcelona at the break.

Robert Lewandowski came on and found the back of the net in the 74th minute after fine work by Lamine Yamal to find him, but Diego Simeone's men did not go quietly into the night. Angel Correa found Marcos Llorente in the 84th minute to make it 4-3 before Alexander Sorloth scored the equalizer in the third minute of added time to make it 4-4.

In a match like this, talking points are sure to abound. However, we will discuss the five most interesting one.

Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid: Five talking points

5. Friendly neighborhood Spiderman

Julian Alvarez was one of the stand-out performers in the fabulous footballing spectacle in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey, pitching in a goal and an assist within the first 10 minutes. The Argentine forward did not just contribute a quarter of the goals, he covered every blade of grass on the pitch in a spirited performance for Los Rojiblancos.

Alvarez made 11 defensive actions and completed 25 of 34 passes (74%) in a fabulous performance for Atletico Madrid against Barcelona.

4. Raphinha the magician

With another magical performance for Barcelona, Raphinha gave another reason why fans should consider him the best player in the world. The Brazilian created the most chances in the game (four) and if Ferran Torres was more clinical, Raphinha would have bagged a hat-trick of assists.

Atletico Madrid were glad to see him come off in the 85th minute because when he was not creating chances, he was making sure his side held on to possession stingily. He won one free kick, three of four duels, and made two recoveries.

3. Diego Simeone's wonderful, strangely competent attacking team

Anyone who watched the entire game would have noticed the strange albeit effective way Atletico Madrid attacked Barcelona. Diego Simeone is a manager famed for rigid and defensive football. However, it would be wrong to describe his team's performance in those words.

Atleti took the ball forward in a way that felt like seeing an old hatchback go from zero to 60 in four seconds. Their awkwardness seemed to be by design, and Hansi Flick's side never really knew how to handle them when they got into flow.

2. Frenkie de Jong, class personified

Frenkie de Jong has to be considered one of the best midfielders on the planet. The Dutch midfielder was the glue that kept Barcelona ticking in the match. He covered every blade of grass, recorded a passing accuracy of 94% (99/105), and passed the ball out of danger in his box and to the danger men against Atletico Madrid.

The 27-year-old completed the most passes in the match (99), created two chances, won the two tackles he made, won six of eight duels, and made eight recoveries in a fabulous performance in midfield.

1. Real Madrid must have concerns

If anyone watched the game with bated breath and a chill running down their spine, it would be Real Madrid's fans and coaching staff. Little comfort must have been drawn from seeing Barca, who had scored nine against them in their previous two meetings, fail to lose a game despite conceding four goals against the side Los Blancos face in the Champions League Round of 16 on March 4.

If Real Madrid get past Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semifinal, they will face Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in the final and still clash with their cross-town rivals in the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti's men must be scratching their heads to find a way to face and triumph over one or both of the fabulous teams on display in Catalonia again this season.