Barcelona edge Atletico to set up Clasico Copa del Rey final showdown

The result sets up an electrifying final against arch-rivals Real Madrid on April 26, but manager Hansi Flick has urged his players to keep their feet on the ground despite their dazzling form.

The Blaugrana have been unstoppable this season, stretching their unbeaten run to 21 matches across all competitions. They remain the only side in Europe's top-five leagues yet to taste defeat in 2025, dazzling fans with some of the most exhilarating football seen at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in years.

Ferran Torres proved the difference-maker in the capital, stretching to poke home a precise pass from teenage star Lamine Yamal in the first half to silence the Metropolitano crowd.

Flick, however, refused to get carried away with treble talk after the win. "I know everyone wants to focus on the final, it's a Clasico, it's huge, but our next game is against Betis in La Liga, and that's where our heads need to be," he said at the post-match press conference.

"We're in a great moment, but I've been around long enough to know how quickly things can turn. We have to stay sharp."

Barcelona sit atop the La Liga table with 66 points, three ahead of Real Madrid, while Atletico Madrid trail by nine in third with just nine games remaining.

The Catalans are also juggling a Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, while Real Madrid face Arsenal in London next week. The two Spanish giants will lock horns again in La Liga on May 11, a clash that could crown the champions.

Reflecting on the Atletico win, Flick praised his side's resilience. "This was a massive result. Atletico are one of Europe's elite teams, and keeping a clean sheet here is no small feat," he said. "We were brave, we suffered when we had to, and we got the job done. I told the players I was proud - if we play like that, we'll keep winning."

The match itself was a battle. Atletico, desperate to halt their slide after a torrid March that saw them exit the Champions League and fade in the title race, came out swinging. Cesar Azpilicueta escaped a red card for a studs-up challenge on Raphinha, while Yamal nearly broke the deadlock with a curling effort that whistled wide.

Torres' goal gave Barcelona the edge, though Raphinha spurned a golden chance to kill the tie before half-time.

Diego Simeone rolled the dice with a triple substitution at the break, and substitute Alexander Sorloth, who scored a dramatic leveller in the first leg, went close again, only to be denied by an offside flag. Despite a spirited second-half push, Atletico couldn't find a way through, slumping to a sixth straight winless game.

For Barcelona, the dream of a quadruple remains alive. They've already pocketed the Spanish Super Cup, and with the Copa del Rey final, La Liga, and the Champions League still in play, Flick's men are firing on all cylinders. "Dreaming is fine," Flick added, "but it's the hard work that keeps this run going."

Meanwhile, Barcelona's official X account hailed the team's "guts and glory" in a post that's already racked up thousands of likes.

READ MORE: Diogo Jota's goal ignites Anfield as Liverpool edge Everton in derby