Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, sealing a 5-4 aggregate win to set up a blockbuster Copa del Rey final against arch-rivals Real Madrid.
After an eight-goal thriller in the first leg, the return fixture at the Metropolitano was a tighter affair, with Ferran Torres’ first-half strike proving decisive.
The visitors started strongly, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal causing problems early on.
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He nearly teed up Raphinha for a simple finish inside two minutes before curling an effort wide moments later.
Torres broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, latching onto Yamal’s incisive pass before coolly slotting past Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso.
Diego Simeone’s side struggled to test Barcelona’s defence in the first half but improved after the break.
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Alexander Sørloth fired into the side netting, while Musso kept Atlético in the game with a sharp save to deny Raphinha.
Sørloth thought he had levelled late on, but his finish was ruled out for offside as Atletico failed to register a single shot on target all night.
Barcelona held firm to secure their place in next month’s final in Seville, where they will meet Real Madrid in what promises to be a fiery El Clásico showdown.
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It will be the eighth Copa del Rey final between Madrid and Barcelona (four titles for Los Blancos, three for the Blaugrana).
The only fixture to be contested more times in a Copa del Rey final than El Clasico is Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao (nine).
Madrid will be seeking to edge out Barcelona after two defeats this season.
