Torres sends Barcelona beyond the Atlético and in the classic Copa del Rey Final | Copa del Rey

More than a decade later, the Rey Copa will have a classic final. The first Barcelona played, then resisted, skillfully suppressing the short rebellion of Atlético Madrid to the Metropolitan and together those two half, those two faces, brought them. A first wild and open leg, 4-4 and MontjuicHe gave way to a second closer won by a single goal by Ferran Torres. Seville awaits the greatest rivals of football, both still chasing a sharp. “The dream is allowed,” said Hansi Flick, “but we will have to work hard. The club have a lot of space for other titles.”

For the part of Diego Simeone, in the meantime, this was the end. In the five weeks from the first stage of this semifinal, a season that had settled up to be superb instead flee from Atlético, all three main competitions went. Since then they have won only one of the five games, and that was the second stage of the Champions League in which Madrid threw them out of penalties. They also slipped nine points from the top to La Liga and now their cup ride is over. They had brought their opponents online but they couldn’t overcome it alone. “There is nothing to reproach,” said the coach.

Here, perhaps, it could have been there. Subsequently José María Giménez apologized for the way Atlético had played in the first half. His manager said it wasn’t necessary to apologize and he rightly insisted on the fact that they had “competed” after the break. But while the substitute Alex Sørloh had a potential tie excluded for the offside, and while they sent goalkeeper Juan Musso for a 94th minute corner, some hope still there in the end, in the end they had not managed a shot on the target.

Apart from a short storm, Barcelona He had checked this and in two different ways. “You also have to defend and we did it great,” said Flick. “Not only with the ball, but also against the ball – and this is teamwork.”

The beginning suggested another wild and open game, Lamine Yamal escaping on the right from one end and Marcos Llorente does the same to the other. A couple of fierce challenges the first challenges gave him an advantage. The game, although soon settled in a scheme imposed by Barcelona, ​​their ball played with patience but insistence.

While Barcelona moved him quickly through the midfield, Pedri was at the center of everything, his movement is smooth and precise. Next to him, Frenkie de Jong excelled. The third midfielder, Fermo, stopped again, all acute and incisive runs just in front of them. But when the moves accelerated and the threat became more real, they tended to do it at the foot of Lamine Yamal.

Not so much because this time he ran against people, even if he did it, and a movement of his hips is often sufficient to send the opponents on the other side. Not because it was also there to finish the moves, even if in 11 minutes another rapid exchange saw him bend a blow just beyond the far post. But more because of his eye for a passage and his ability to perform him, an awareness of everything that happens around him, his decision -making process is always impeccable.

Gradually, Barcelona pushed the Atlético deeper; Gradually, they also made their way around them. An enchanting exchange between Torres, Pedri and Raphinha left Torres free until Robin the Normand intervened to stop him. A passage collected by Lamine Yamal then sent Jules Koundé to the area. Fermín was the next player to see a final passage a short fraction. And then Barcelona took the command, Lamine Yamal offers an angular ball in the area where Torres slipped inside and beat Musso.

Barcelona had a control entirely in control now, Raphinha saw a free kick and another effort blocked by Musso.

All that Atlético had was a header of Le Normand who floated, reaching the interval raised by the fact that the gap was only one. Simeone introduced Clément Langlet, Javi Galán and Alex Sørloth during the break, the second half starting from an Antoine Griezmann flight. This seemed different now, and the fans also felt, the noise got up. The roof almost came out when Rodrigo De Paul was inserted in Sørloh. One against one against Wojciech Szczesny, the opening of the Goal, the Norwegian shot hit the lateral network.

Atlético was active and working now. And, although a superb wave of Lamine Yamal and Fermo’s awareness opened the possibility of Raphinha that could have ended, but for a Musso rescue, Flick reacted to close the spaces, his team descending deeper, the substitutes Eric García and Ronald Araújo destined to act in key roles. Even the counting of the count has risen, Barcelona undertakes more than in any game this season. The score has not changed, Sørloth ran towards Julián Alvarez’s film to break home with 20 minutes from the end, just to see the flag raised.

And this, it was discovered, was that. The margin remained well, the hope lasted until the last, but the triumph remained out of reach again for Atlético. For Barcelona, ​​it is a classic away, and this could still be only the beginning.