Atletico Madrid advanced to their first Copa del Rey final in 13 years despite suffering a 3-0 defeat to defending champions Barcelona in the second leg of their semifinal on Tuesday.
Atletico progressed 4-3 on aggregate, thanks to their commanding 4-0 victory in the first leg at the Metropolitano Stadium last month.
Coached by Diego Simeone, Atletico will play in the Copa final for the first time since winning their 10th title in the 2012-13 season. The final is scheduled for April in Seville.
Barcelona mounted a strong comeback attempt at home. Marc Bernal opened the scoring in the 29th minute, while Raphinha converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time. Bernal struck again in the 72nd minute, leaving Barcelona just one goal short of leveling the tie.
“We knew it wasn’t easy to overturn a 4-0 deficit, but we gave everything,” Raphinha said after the match.
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso credited his team’s resilience over the two legs, saying it was “a game of 180 minutes.”
Barcelona suffered injury setbacks, losing defender Jules Koundé early in the match, while Robert Lewandowski missed the game due to injury.
Barcelona, the Spanish league leaders with a four-point advantage over Real Madrid, were aiming to defend their Copa title after defeating Real Madrid in last year’s final. Atletico sit third in La Liga, 13 points behind Barcelona.
The winner of the other semifinal between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao will be decided on Wednesday.
Both Atletico and Barcelona remain in the Champions League round of 16.