Overview
- Atlético scored all four goals before halftime, beginning with an Eric García own goal after goalkeeper Joan García miscontrolled a back-pass, followed by strikes from Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julián Álvarez.
- Barcelona had a Pau Cubarsí goal ruled out in the second half after a prolonged VAR review that the Spanish federation said relied on manually drawn offside lines due to an automatic detection failure.
- Eric García was sent off in the 85th minute after VAR upgraded his caution to a straight red for denying a breakaway.
- Atlético take a commanding advantage into the return leg at Camp Nou on March 3, placing them as clear favorites to reach the final in Seville.
- Diego Simeone praised Álvarez for ending his goal drought, while Barcelona’s options were thinned by absences including Marcus Rashford and other injured regulars.