Diego Simeone hailed Antoine Griezmann as a “legend of Atletico Madrid” and was thrilled Julian Alvarez got back on the scoresheet in a big Copa del Rey win over Barcelona.
Atletico ran out 4-0 winners over 10-man Barca in the first leg of their semi-final, with Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Alvarez all on target in the first half after Eric Garcia’s early own goal.
And the hosts could have held an even bigger cushion at the halfway stage of the contest, with Nahuel Molina also seeing a shot cleared off the line before the break.
Barcelona attempted a second-half comeback, but Pau Cubarsi saw a goal disallowed following a lengthy VAR check, while they also had Garcia sent off in the 85th minute for a late tackle.
But Atletico were clinical as they played off Barcelona’s high line, accumulating 2.3 expected goals (xG) from their 12 shots, eight of which were on target.
Griezmann netted his fifth goal in the Copa del Rey this season, while Alvarez, who also provided an assist, scored for the first time since early December.
“Antoine is a historic player, a legend of Atletico Madrid,” Simeone told Movistar. “Nobody can take away that wonderful place he holds.
“He’s giving everything he has to contribute. I hope I can repay him from the coach’s perspective with that enthusiasm he inspires. He was outstanding.
“I loved Julian’s pass to Lookman. That composure in the moment. That speaks of humility, leadership, vision… life rewards you later.
“He put in a lot of effort in the second half. We knew we had to revitalise the forwards’ work.”
Atletico ended a run of four straight home defeats to Barcelona in all competitions, having also failed to score in three of those.
Their 4-0 half-time lead marked just the second time Barca have conceded four goals before the break since at least the 2004-05 season. The other occasion was in the Champions League in August 2020 against Bayern Munich (an 8-2 defeat).
“We found an incredible energy in the stadium,” Simeone said in his press conference. “Life is energy.
“We were able to ride that wave of energy. The interpretation of the game was very good, with the four forwards reading the space very well.
“[On] other days, we say we lack decisiveness, but [this game] will be remembered for how we played. They represented it in the best way.
“I have faith in the team, in what we do, in our people. I’m not a fortune teller who can predict what will happen. I felt the team could play the way they did.
“The players’ effort in going after the opponents was incredible. That’s why we tried to change things up. In the second half, the pressure was lower. The first half was exactly what we wanted.”