Atletico Madrid strike late in thrilling 4-4 draw with Barcelona

Alexander Sorloth struck a stoppage-time equaliser for Atletico Madrid as a thrilling first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at Barcelona ended 4-4.

Barcelona appeared set to take a 4-3 lead into the return leg after hitting back from 2-0 down, but substitute Sorloth levelled it up in the third minute of added time.

Atletico raced into an early two-goal lead at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium through Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann before Barca recovered in stunning fashion.

Pedri, Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez all struck for Barca before the break to turn the game on its head and Robert Lewandowski scored the home side’s fourth in the second half.

Marcos Llorente’s late effort kept Atletico in the tie – the return leg in Madrid is in early April – before Sorloth’s last-gasp effort denied Barca the advantage.

Atletico stunned the home fans with a super-charged start that saw them 2-0 lead inside the opening six minutes.

Alvarez’s header had already forced Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny into a superb save when the Argentina forward fired the visitors ahead from the subsequent corner with barely 60 seconds on the clock.

Atletico then caught their hosts on the counter-attack and Alvarez this time turned provider, teeing up Griezmann to dispatch his finish into the bottom corner.

Barca soon stirred themselves though and after Ferran Torres’ effort had forced Juan Musso into his first save, Pedri converted from inside the box after being set up by Jules Kounde in the 19th minute.

Teenage centre-back Cubarsi headed Barca level two minutes later from Raphinha’s fine cross and the Brazilian playmaker provided another pinpoint delivery for Martinez to head the Catalans in front in the 41st minute.

Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo all went close to extending Barca’s lead before a thrilling first period drew to a close.

Griezmann was denied an equaliser for Atletico soon after the restart when his low effort was turned away by Szczesny.

The end-to-end action slowed after both sides made a raft of substitutions in the second half before Lewandowski, a 68th-minute replacement for Torres, turned home Barca’s fourth goal from close range after good work from Yamal.

Atletico reduced the deficit with six minutes to go. Angel Correa provided the assist and Llorente drilled into the bottom corner for the tie’s seventh goal.

The visitors finished strongly and Correa was denied by another excellent Szczesny save before Sorloth drilled a shot into the bottom corner after being set up by Samuel Lino.