Atletico Madrid made it through to the 2026 Copa del Rey final on Tuesday night after they withstood a near sensational comeback from Barcelona at a frenzied Camp Nou Stadium.
After losing the first leg in Madrid 4-0, the Blaugrana had a mountain to climb when they welcomed Los Rojiblancos to Catalonia, and they almost did it, fighting back to lead 3-0 on the night with 20 minutes remaining. Marc Bernal was the star of the night with two goals, while the excellent Raphinha converted a penalty as the Blaugrana overwhelmed their visitors.
Raphinha said before the match that if any team could overturn a four-goal deficit it is the Catalans, and they came so close. The opener came on the half hour when Bernal slid the ball home from close range.
Lamine Yamal’s hat-trick against Villarreal last weekend set the tone for Barca’s assault on Atletico, and it was the La Roja star who teed up the opener for his fellow 18-year-old, brilliantly working his way down the left flank before squaring for Bernal to convert.
Atleti keeper Juan Musso was peppered by shots from Ferran Torres, while Raphinha smashed his effort into the side-netting, and it was the Brazilian star who doubled Barcelona’s lead from the penalty spot, after Pedri was fouled by Clement Lenglet.
Atleti had moments of their own when Antoine Griezmann hit a post, and Julian Alvarez forced Joan Garcia into a save, but the Camp Nou erupted when Bernal scored his fourth goal in four games, sliding in a cross from Joao Cancelo. But as Barca piled on the pressure, Atletico held out to record a nerve-jangling 4-3 win, Gerard Martin going the closest when his shot was inches over the bar.
So the primary treble target has gone for Flick’s side, and now they must turn their attention to retaining their La Liga title and challenging for the Champions League. Barcelona are four points clear at the top of the Primera Division table, with their closest rivals, Real Madrid, suffering back-to-back defeats, and they are going well in Europe.
Before the semi-finals kicked off, the Copa del Rey 2026 betting odds here at SBOTOP
backed Barca to win the cup, but now Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid is the team to beat.
Sociedad rule the Basque
Real Sociedad will meet Los Rojiblancos in the Copa final after they beat Basque rival Athletic Club 2-0 on aggregate. After a sluggish start in the La Liga campaign, Sociedad are up to eighth place in the league table, ahead of ninth-placed Bilbao on goal difference. And La Real’s Copa del Rey 2026 results have been impressive too, winning the semi-final first leg in Bilbao 1-0, thanks to a 62nd-minute goal from Benat Turrientes.
The second leg in San Sebastian was a cagey affair, decided by a late Mikel Oyarzabal penalty, but Bilbao had their chances to level long before the hosts made the tie safe. In the first minute, Alex Berenguer met an Inaki Williams cross and headed narrowly wide. Sociedad were keen to put the tie to bed, and Carlos Soler was denied by an Alex Padilla save, before having another shot blocked on the half hour.
With the score at 0-0 at the break, Bilbao were still in the tie, and Oihan Sancet came close with a header, and Berenguer fired another shot narrowly wide. But the game was up when Sociedad won a penalty in the 86th minute and Oyarzabal planted it home.
So what next for the semi-finalists?
Well Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad can look forward to the Copa del Rey final in Seville on 18th April. And both Atleti and Barcelona have Premier League opposition in the Champions League Round of 16. The Blaugrana face Newcastle United while Los Rojiblancos will take on Tottenham Hotspur and I’d back both Spanish sides to go through. In La Liga, the four clubs will meet on Saturday. Leaders Barcelona visit Bilbao while Atletico Madrid host Real Sociedad – two tasty fixtures for sure. So keep it here, where we’ll be right across all the action in Spain and Europe as the climax approaches.
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