COPA DEL REY: Barcelona 1 – 0 Atletico Madrid January 22, 2015 05:00 Camp Nou, Barcelona LIVE COMMENTARY Full time at Camp Nou. Barcelona go into the second leg of this Copa del Rey quarter-final tie with a narrow 1-0 lead over Atletico Madrid. It was a frustrating match for the most part for the hosts but the ended up taking taking the lead on thanks to a close range finish from Lionel Messi after a missed penalty from the Argentine. A predictably tight affair, but we still have the second leg to go! Im Martin Macdonald, thanks for joining us, see you next time! 90 + 1 Yellow CardDiego Godín 90 Well there is even more bad news for Atletico Madrid now as Diego Godin is now OUT of the next leg after picking up a booking for a challenge on Messi on the edge of the box. Barca, meanwhile, get the free kick opportunity 20 yards or so out. 88 SubstitutionAndrés Iniesta Luján Bartra 88 Diego Simeone is going for that potentially vital away goal here as he introduces Raul Jimenez in place of Gabi. Striker on for a midfielder, so it looks like Barcelona man have to do some defending in these latter stages! 87 SubstitutionGabi R. Jiménez 86 That is a bit of a heartbreaker for Atletico Madrid! They have defended so valiantly so far but they have been undone by a penalty of all things. However, they still have a bit of time to take a 1-1 draw into this second leg! Can Barca hold on? 85 Penalty saveJan Oblak 85 Missed PenaltyLionel Messi 85 GoalLionel Messi GOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL FOR BARCELONAAAAA!!! MESSI steps up and sees his penalty saved by Oblak, but then follows it up to smash into the empty net with the Atletico keeper on the floor! One-nil! Late drama at Camp Nou! 84 Yellow CardGabi 83 PENALTY TO BARCELONA!!! Messis free kick comes to the feet of Busquets, who is hacked down inside the box by Juanfran! The home side with a MASSIVE chance to take the lead here! 82 Yellow CardMiranda 82 There has been a little bit of a delay on this free kick as the referee look to get the Atletico wall back the necessary distance. 80 Yellow CardJavier Mascherano 80 Atletico have did really well so far not to give away any penalties that are it what you would call Messi range. However, Siqueira concedes the free kick 25 yards out after crashing into the back of the Argentine. Real opportunity for Los Cules here! 78 Yellow CardLuis Suárez 78 Well, the referee is not doing himself any favours here. The official fails to give a free kick on the edge of the box for a handball by Mario Suarez, but then moments later penalises Arda for the same offence near the halfway line. Mascherano is incensed as he feels that there wasnt a difference between the two, and, like Suares, receives a booking for dissent. 77 SubstitutionIvan Rakitic Xavi 77 Some lovely link up play on the edge of the box from Barcelona eventually sees Messi tee up himself before volleying at goal, but Atletico make the solid block. Suarez is demanding a free kick from the referee for a foul in the build up but ends up going into the book for dissent. 76 First change of the match from Barcelona and it sees Xavi come on to replace Rakitic. 75 Messi fires a pass down the inside right channel for Suarez, who makes a great run into the space. The Uruguayan then goes down under the challenge of Godin, but the referee doesnt award anything! Surely there must have been some contact there, as if there wasnt, Suarez has blew a superb opportunity to get to goal! 73 Iniesta picks up possession around 25 yards out and goes for goal with a low, powerful left-footed drive towards the bottom corner. Certainly well-struck from the Barca captain, but Oblak is equal to it and makes the solid save down to his left. 71 Arda Turan shows an electric turn of pace down the left flank and spots the run of Mandzukic before deciding against the cross and reverting back on his right foot. By the time more support arrives Barca get back in numbers and all the momentum leaves the Colchoneros attack. 69 Messi pounces on a poor touch from Mandzukic and cleverly nutmegs Suarez in a central area before being fouled by Arda Turan. Barca typically take the quick free kick to get the play moving but Atletico are already back posted in their defensive positions. 67 Iniesta swings a corner kick to the back post and Atletico manage to clear out of the box. Alba latches on to the loose clearance to fire a left-footed volley back into the danger area, but once again the visitors remain solid to dispose of the threat. 66 SubstitutionAntoine Griezmann Raúl García 65 Second change of the match from Atletico Madrid and it is another change to the attacking unit. Antoine Griezmann is the player withdrawn and hell be replaced by Raul Garcia, who certainly has proved himself a threat in the opposition penalty area in the past couple of seasons. 63 Neymar curls a strike out wide to Messi and the Argentine skips past the challenge of Siqueira before driving into the box. Godin just dangles out a leg dangerously but the Barca man doesnt go down, which allows Atletico to make the interception. 61 Siqueira is caught out of position and Miranda is forced to come across and clear into the stand, but not before being caught nastily on the ankle by Messi. Unclear whether there was any intent in the tackle, but it was still a sore one for the Brazilian defender. 59 Alba opens up his stride down the left wing again and then reverses a precision pass to the edge of the box for Iniesta. The Barca captain opens up his body to look for the far corner with a right-footed strike, but Koke is back in a defensive position to make the vital block. 57 Mandzukic has typically already started to ruffle the feathers of the Barcelona players since coming on at half time. Rakitic is involved with his compatriot on this occasion as the duo get involved in some tugging in the penalty area, but the referee doesnt award anything. 55 Alba makes his way down the touchline and passes in to the feet of Neymar. The Brazilian looks to curls a cross into the box with the outside of his right foot but once again Miranda is there to block the path through. This Atletico defence just looks impenetrable at the moment. 53 Barcelona have just upped their tempo slightly in this second period. Neymar goes on a signature run into the box and passes square to Rakitic who looks to smash a left-footed strike at goal, but before he can Godin comes in with a well-timed interception. 51 Messi threads a pass down the right for Suarez and the Uruguayan takes a few strides forward before curling a teasing cross to the back post. Juanfran clears brilliantly before being absolutely took out by the aerial challenge of Neymar. Clear free kick there. 49 Juanfran misjudges a ball down the left wing which allows Alba to get in behind on the overlap. The Barca left-back hits the byline and then whips a cross into the box, but Miranda is on hand to head away from Suarez, who fancied a strike at goal! 47 A change to report for you at half time. Fernando Torres, who was disappointing in the first half, will be replaced by Atletico Madrids top goalscorer this season, Mario Mandzukic, who will miss the second leg if he sees a yellow card tonight. 46 SubstitutionFernando Torres Mario Mandzukic 46 We are back under way in this Copa del Rey clash! Half time at Camp Nou. It has been a frustrating opening 45 minutes for Barcelona as they are currently being held to a 0-0 stalemate with Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeones tactics for a first leg cup clash have been spot on as he keeps things tight at the back whilst looking to snatch a goal on the counterattack. Goalkeepers not really had too much to do! Hopefully some goalmouth action in the second period! 45 Yellow CardJuanfran 44 If any side could manage to grab a goal now it would certainly change the half time team talk of the managers. Not a lot of signs that anyone is going to net before the break though! 42 Messi curls a beautiful ball to the edge of the box for Neymar, who thinks about the shot before opting to slide a pass into the feet of Iniesta, who looks to return the ball. The World Cup winner is eventually flagged as offside and nothing materialises from the Barcelona attack. 40 Koke picks the pocket of Busquets in the middle of the park and looks to take the pressure off his defence with a penetrating run out of his own half. In the end the Atletico man is vastly outnumbered and ends up surrendering possession a few yards forward. Where was the support there?! 38 Atletico move forward in a two versus two counterattack as Torres drives through the middle at pace. The former Chelsea striker looks for the run of Griezmann who is in acres of space, but Pique just manages to stretch out a leg to intercept! The Frenchman would have been one-one-one with Ter Stegen! 36 SITTER FROM LUIS SUAREZ! Rakitic latches on to a bouncing loose ball on the edge of the box and cushions a quite delightful pass back into the danger area for the Uruguayan, who sweeps a volley over the bar from just outside the six yard box! Best chance of the match so far! 34 CHANCE FOR GRIEZMANN! Siqueira gets into an advanced position down the left-hand side and stands a superb cross to the back post. The Frenchman jumps up to get his head on it but just cant get enough purchase, which results in the attempt going over the bar! 32 Suarez collects the ball on the edge of the box before being taken out by Godin. Messi collects the loose ball and skips past the challenge of Siqueira before firing a cross in to the far post, but Mario Suarez is on hand to clear for a corner. The Camp Nou crowd give a roar of appreciation for that move. 30 Atletico move up the park in a rare counterattack, with Koke leading the charge. The midfielder makes his way to the edge of the Barca box and opts to slide a pass left to Torres, who looks to curl a strike into the bottom corner. Pique remains solid to turn it behind for a corner kick. 28 Neymar and Alba link up on the left flank with the former coming out with the ball. The Brazilian steps inside and looks exchange a fast one-two with Messi, bit the return ball from the Argentine is intercepted well by Miranda, who clears away from danger. 26 Arda looks to spin Rakitic just a few yards outside the box down the left wing but ends up going down as the Barca midfielder clips him from behind. Atletico Madrid get the free kick in a very useful position in the opposition half, so lets see what they can make of it! 24 Godin attempts to usher the ball out of play inside his own box but comes under massive pressure from Rakitic as the Croatian attempts to claw the ball back. The Atletico defender cleverly buys the foul though and takes the pressure off himself and the backline with a free kick. 22 We are just about midway through this first half now and there has been a distinct lack of goalscoring opportunities for both sides. Oblak was tested early on by that Neymar strike but apart from that neither goalkeeper has had anything to do. 20 Alves finds some space down the right-hand side and spots the central run of Suarez before firing a pass into the feet of his fellow South American. The former Liverpool striker doesnt actually expect the pass to reach him though and allows it to run through to Oblak. 18 Neymar is lucky to escape a booking here. The Brazilian, petulantly throws the ball off the ground in frustration as, in quick succession, he is denied a foul and Mario Suarez is awarded a free kick within the space of a few seconds. 16 Messi gets into a little bit of a sticky situation near the touchline as he is being hunted down for possession by Siqueira and Arda, but ends up finding enough space to drill a sensational diagonal pass to the opposite wing for Alba, who has loads of space to run into! 14 Miranda initially does really well to proactively rob Neymar of possession on the edge of the box before looking to move his team up the park. The Atletico defender makes it to midway through his own half before attempting to fizz a pass to Griezmann, but it goes wayward. 12 Rakitic pops up in a deep position near the corner flag and spots the run of Messi before firing a pass into the feet of the Argentine. The latter collects possession and is forced into an early strike which flies over the bar. Oblak was struggling to get there, but luckily for him it was off target. 10 Atletico working hard at the moment to squeeze the space in front of their defence, which means that Barcas front three are struggling to manoeuvre in the danger area. The best tactic for the hosts at the moment may be to utilise Alves and Alba down the flanks, as there is plenty of room there. 8 Dani Alves goes on a marauding run down the right-hand side before skipping past a couple of challenges to drive into the centre. He ends up going down under the tackle of Miranda but the referee waves play on, much to the annoyance of the Camp Nou faithful. Didnt look too much in it to be fair. 6 Barca have started this match on top here and it looks like Atletico may be quite happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. They do have pace on the counterattack through Griezmann and Torres, but we havent seen anything from that duo as of yet. 4 Oblak called into action early on! Neymar collects the ball in the inside left channel from Suarez and then typically cuts inside on his right foot before bending a strike towards the bottom corner, but the Atletico keeper passes his first test by tipping the attempt round the post! 2 Atletico Madrid started their last Copa del Rey match against Real Madrid with an incredibly high tempo and went ahead basically a few seconds after the kick-off, so itll be interesting to see if they adopt the same tactics early on here. 1 We are under way at Camp Nou! - The teams have made their way to the pitch and we are almost ready for kick-off! - Simeone makes three alterations from the win over Granada a few days ago. Miguel Moya, Jose Gimenez, and Mario Mandzukic are withdrawn for Jan Oblak, Miranda, and Antoine Griezmann. Fernando Torres once again starts up top as he looks to continue his renaissance. - Enrique continues with the same outfield 10 that won comfortable at Deportivo at the weekend. The only change comes in goal, with Claudio Bravo making way Marc Andre ter Stegen. - Well as you can see from those line-ups, neither Luis Enrique or Diego Simeone has taken anything for granted in their team selection, with more or less full strength XIs taking to the field tonight for this Spanish Cup clash. - Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Oblak; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Siqueira; Koke, Gabi, Suarez, Arda; Griezmann, Torres. - Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta; Neymar, Messi, Suarez. TEAM NEWS... - Both sides switch their attentions to Spanish Cup duties tonight though, and will be looking to gain some kind of advantage before heading into the second leg at the Vicente Calderon. - Barcelona and Atletico Madrid faced each other in the league just 10 days ago. In that top of the table clash, Neymar, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi were all on target for Luis Enriques outfit as they ran out 3-1 winners, with Mario Mandzukic grabbing a consolation for the visitors. Barcelona had an ever-so-slightly easier journey into the quarter-final; they reached the last eight thanks to a 9-0 aggregate win over Elche. The second leg finished 4-0 with Jeremy Mathieu scoring the pick of the goals with an outstanding free kick. - Of course, it was Atletico Madrid themselves who knocked their rivals out of the cup a week ago. An unlikely brace from the previously out-of-form and returning Fernando Torres sealed the 2-2 draw on the night for Diego Simeones m The visitors tonight followed up that victory with a solid 2-0 win at home to Granada in the Spanish Primera Division. - The Spanish Cup is getting to the business end of things now, and with Liga giants, Real Madrid, having been dumped out of the competition last week, Los Colchoneros and Los Cules will be smelling blood in their pursuit of the silverware! - Im Martin Macdonald, and Ill be taking you through the action! Good evening football fans! Welcome to LIVE coverage of the Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg clash between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Camp Nou!
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 07:52:10 +0000
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