Hansi Flick talks Balde, Martinez, Cubarsi, Pedri, after Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Despite scoring 4 goals, FC Barcelona were unable to win and get an advantage over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final last night at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.

The Catalans saw themselves going down early, as Julian Alvarez scored in the very first minute and Antoine Griezmann added another only five minutes later. However, they were still able to go into the half-time break with a 3-2 lead with goals from Pedri, Pau Cubarsi, and Inigo Martinez.

Robert Lewandowski made it 4-2 in the 74 minute, but the Mattress Makers scored two more goals to end the game with a 4-4 scoreline.

Thus, the two teams have everything to play for in the second leg. Meanwhile, as Mundo Deportivo has reported, Hansi Flick had mixed feelings about this game as he spoke to the press after the full-time whistle.

The Barcelona head coach praised his team’s character that allowed it to come back from a difficult situation:

“We played very well for 75 minutes. Now we have a great opportunity to show that we can win at the Metropolitano. We’re going to give it our all. Today, it was clear that we didn’t give up after conceding two goals early in the match.”

On the other hand, he also expressed his disappointment with the final result:

“I’m proud of the match, but I need to talk to my players about the goals we conceded. We are a young team that has also shown today that we can improve, and we will. We’re disappointed with the result, but the game we played was fantastic.”

The German tactician also highlighted some specific players who are playing at a very good level:

“Players like Balde, for me, have improved a lot this season, Íñigo, Cubarsí… incredible. Pedri, of course. Frenkie has really been great. They are giving the best version of themselves for the club. And also, of course, we can’t forget Rafa and Lamine. It’s really good to have this, but we need to keep going.”

The Barcelona trainer admitted the fourth goal was a shocker, but also highlighted that the team is still confident:

“I think it’s a Copa match, and everyone loves this competition. Atlético de Madrid has a fantastic team. In the last few minutes, we didn’t defend well. I couldn’t believe the fourth goal, and we need to talk about it because there was no pressure on the ball. But the important thing is that the team remains confident. We have to stay positive.”

There is no doubt that the Catalans would have wanted to take some advantage from this home game but were ultimately not able to do so. Everything will now depend on the second leg, which is scheduled to take place more than a month from now, at the beginning of April.