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In a thrilling 4-4 draw with Barcelona in a Copa del Rey semi-final first leg thriller on Tuesday, Atletico Madrid took a two-goal lead before rallying from two down.

After Diego Simeone’s side scored twice in the opening six minutes through Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann, Barca raced through the gears in a high-octane performance.

The Catalan giants rallied with the excellent Pedri Gonzalez who added goals from Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Robert Lewandowski.

Before Alexander Sorloth scored in the 93rd minute to tie the game level before the second leg at the Metropolitano stadium on April 2, Marcos Llorente scored for Atletico.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, AFCON Needs More Respect – Rio Ferdinand

“It’s a terrible result when you go 4-2 up… you have to be more careful, these are things we have to learn”, Pedri told Movistar.

“We started badly today, but I’ll pay attention to the team’s reaction.

It will be a challenging second leg, but we will go there to try and win, the saying goes. “When we get in front, we must be calmer.

Simeone praised his team’s grit, which his substitutes have shown themselves to be very effective this season.

” We had an enormous competitive spirit, “said the Atletico coach.

” The changes freshened up the team, it wasn’t an easy game to play, and I love the spirit the lads showed…

As the minutes went on, “the team started to feel more at ease.”

Ferran Torres replaced Lewandowski in a false nine role after Hansi Flick eliminated Barca’s top goalscorer from the starting lineup.

Despite having the first of three matches against Barca and a Champions League last 16 tie against Real Madrid on the horizon, Simeone chose a strong side.

After Griezmann’s cross was headed in, Alvarez snuck into the back post and took the lead right away.

In the sixth minute, Atletico doubled their lead thanks to Alvarez’s stunning release of Griezmann after Jules Kounde had given the ball away.

Alejandro Balde was pressing the French forward, but Wojciech Szczesny was able to sneak a shot that the forward could not avoid.

After Atletico’s opening salvo, Barcelona dominated the rest of the first half.

Juan Musso, the Atletico goalkeeper, should have easily saved the goal, but Ferran Torres’ shot was poor and he should have leveled.

The La Liga leaders scored two goals in two minutes to bring the score level, with Pedri scoring first before Cubarsi headed home from the corner.

Torres wasted another excellent opportunity for Barca’s third, rounding Musso but failing miserably under the pressure of Clement Lenglet, who is currently on loan from the Catalans at Atletico.

&nbsp, ‘Too easy ‘

At the start of the second half, Szczesny was successful in getting a good save from Griezmann, with Barca still firmly in charge.

As the visitors searched for an equalizer, Sorloth’s goal was turned down for offside, but Barca won.

Lamine Yamal, a teen winger, drew inspiration from a brilliant dribble that blared past Reinildo Mandava and fought for Lewandowski to tap home.

Barcelona had a good lead, but Llorente’s 84th-minute strike from the edge of the box gave Sorloth a chance to score late on.

The Norwegian international scored a last-gasp victory for Atletico in December’s La Liga match against Barcelona, and he was in the right place at the right moment to recover from Samuel Lino’s cut-back.

“It was crazy, a lot of goals”, Atletico’s Alvarez summed up the game.

Flick, the coach for Barcelona, was pleased with the performance of his team, but not the final score.

Flick told reporters, “We are really disappointed about the outcome, but the game we played today was really great. I concentrate more on this.”

“We have to speak about the goals, it was maybe too easy (for Atletico), but we played against a fantastic team… we dominated for 75 to 80 minutes”.

Real Sociedad will play Real Madrid in the other semifinal first leg on Wednesday.

Rio Ferdinand, a former defender for Manchester United, believes that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) needs to enjoy the same level of prestige as the World Cup and other significant trophy competitions.

Ferdinand said in a Monday podcast that “it should be respected more than it is” that “the lack of resources put into it” is the media’s claim that it is a Mickey Mouse tournament.

The 46-year-old’s comments come after fellow Englishman and pundit, Jamie Carragher speaking after Liverpool‘s 2-0 victory over&nbsp, Manchester City on Sunday, felt that Mohamed Salah playing in AFCON was a drawback in his becoming the best player in the world.

According to&nbsp, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) shattered viewership records, reaching a total of 2.2 billion viewers worldwide

This surpassed the viewership of the Super Bowl in the United States, which averaged 123.4 million viewers that same year, a 1.8 billion gap.

The competition also saw a significant increase in digital engagement, with 2.1 billion digital interactions, 3.1 billion TikTok video views, and 12.5 million Instagram views.

Despite these impressive stats, the six-time Premier League champion claimed that ignorance is to blame for the cup competition’s lack of recognition despite the existence of players who have excelled in Europe.

“That comment is representative of the majority of the people out there, I don’t think that is right, that is ignorant. Because of the Africa Cup of Nations, that process is somewhat exhausting. If you go to Abedi Pele, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o all these players Riyad Mahrez, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, we have to win this, it is a demand in their country to win this”

“Yes, it doesn’t get back resources-wise like the Euros etc but that doesn’t mean you have to devalue it. It is a continent with enormous power, one that contributes to European football incalculably, just like the African continent’s player population, which is a ridiculous number, he claimed.

FIFA, according to Ferdinand, has a significant role to play in changing this narrative and positioning the cup competition alongside the Euros and COPA America.

“I agree with what Jamie is saying, but I don’t agree with it because the majority of people in the world don’t,” and I believe FIFA should develop a language that translates to Euris and COPA America. That’s the point.

Jamie was trying to say something, and I believe he was correct when he said that because that is what happens, Mo Salah winning the Africa Cup of Nations would not affect people’s ability to cast ballots for the Ballon d’Or, which he was incorrectly claiming one of his points was.

Salah hasn’t yet won the African continent title, but he did so twice in 2017 and 2021.

“If Mane finished second in 2022, that has no bearing on anyone’s vote, in the captains, media and all the managers, I don’t think they would go (oh before I make an adjustment on who made the top three, where did&nbsp, Mo Salah finish in the Africa Cup of Nations)”.

If Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champion, earn silverware this season, Mohamed Salah will have a “much better chance” of winning the Ballon d’Or, according to Arne Slot.

The Egyptian superstar, 32, is the favourite to win the award, regarded as the top individual prize in football, after a sensational campaign so far.

Salah has 30 goals and 21 assists in all competitions this campaign, but he is yet to agree to a new contract to keep him there until the end of the season.

However, Slot, manager of Liverpool, stated on Tuesday that despite those impressive numbers, the club must win significant prizes to help their forward win his first Ballon d’Or.

The Dutchman said on Tuesday, “It’s a good thing that Mo is in the discussion because it indicates that we are doing well.”

“But he needs to give the same performances he’s been giving for the past seven or eight months,” he said.

” And I think, in general, someone that wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well, so it’s a great challenge that is in front of us, but also in front of him. “

Liverpool, who host Newcastle on Wednesday, are 11 points clear of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with 11 games to go but Slot said he does not fear complacency.

If you have to play 11, he said, “We all know these players are so long in this competition, even much longer than I do, so they know how challenging every single game is.”

Liverpool will face Paris Saint-Germain in the final 16 of the Champions League while they are also playing in the League Cup final against Newcastle once more.

At his pre-game press conference, Slot was asked if Salah’s current form could be compared to Lionel Messi’s or Ronaldo’s former best form, but he shied away from direct comparisons.

” He (Salah) has had some outstanding seasons here at Liverpool, and we hope he can continue this for a longer period of time, but to do that he first has to extend his contract of course, “he said.

The Liverpool manager was also questioned about whether Salah’s breakout form would help the club come to an agreement on a new deal or make it harder or harder.

” You can look at it in both ways, “he said”. We would have second thoughts if we wanted to extend his contract, and the better he does, the more expensive he might become.

Enzo Maresca has urged his sluggish Chelsea team to step up while Cole Palmer is still in the boot camp, saying that “we rely on Cole for everything.”

The attacking midfielder from England has this season’s Premier League scored 14 goals and contributed six assists, but his last goal was in mid-January and he last scored on December 1.

Chelsea, who lost their first four games to runaway leader Liverpool in mid-December, is just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who are now just two points behind them.

Maresca, preparing his team to host rock-bottom Southampton on Tuesday, said he was not worried about Palmer’s dip in form.

READ ALSO: ‘ Champions-Elect’? Liverpool Crush Helpless Man City, Go 11 Points Clear

Cole is a human being, and during the season, he might experience some struggles, he said to reporters on Monday. “I’m not concerned about him.

“We rely on Cole for everything, and I’ve said that we need to rely on the team,” Cole said. For sure we need big players, top players like Cole, but we are not worried about Cole at all”.

He added: “Every game we expect from him a goal or assist. It’s difficult, he’s a human being, he’s a player. At this moment, probably his performance also reflects a little bit the team performance.

When we have the chance, we need to be a little more analytical. “We struggle to score goals.

The Italian, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, remains upbeat over Chelsea’s form as they chase a Champions League place.

” Even against Villa (a 2-1 defeat on Saturday), I think the identity was there, “he said”. Our play on and off the field was very similar to what we were doing earlier in the season.

“So the identity is there. After the Aston Villa game, I said that now I think we can have a good run and maintain good momentum. That is what the players need right now, in my opinion.