Ferran 8.5, Yamal 8.5 | Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona: Player ratings | OneFootball

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid faced off in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal tie on Wednesday night in Madrid.

Both sides were forced to start from scratch after the first leg ended 4-4 in Catalonia. Hansi Flick, needless to say, deployed his strongest possible XI and went all out to seal a berth in the final.

Barcelona dominated the first half to no end, creating chances for fun and should have had at least three goals to show for them.

However, they only managed to send the ball once into the back of the net through Ferran Torres’ well-timed run and Lamine Yamal’s vision.

Los Rojiblancos came out of the tunnel much more determined after the break and dominated the game for large parts. However, Flick’s men held on and sealed a berth in the finale.

Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona.

Wojciech Szczesny: 7.5

Barcelona’s Number 25 did not have a busy first half by any means, making no saves in 45 minutes and racking up just eight attempted passes in the opening period.

Was called into action after the break as Atletico began mounting pressure.

Alejandro Balde: 7.5

Balde returned to the starting lineup for the big cup semifinal and largely dominated the left flank both in defence and attack.

Pushed forward and contributed to the buildup for Barcelona to good effect and was defensive up for the challenge against Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo de Paul.

Inigo Martinez: 8

Martinez continued as Barcelona’s leader in defence but saw some of his responsibilities in the build-up phase shared as Pau Cubarsi returned to the lineup beside him.

Was precise with the offside trap and largely took the right decisions to put an end to the hosts’ occasional counterattacks.

Pau Cubarsi: 7

The teenage phenom returned to Barcelona’s starting lineup for the first time after the international break and was solid throughout.

Looked to be in control of the proceedings and barely gave Atletico Madrid any spaces to run into, negating the lacuna that was clearly visible last time around and improving on it.

Jules Kounde: 8

Jules Kounde had a challenging night ahead of him with the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Giuliano Simeone and Julian Alvarez at times all looking to barge in from the right.

Yet, he managed to be the team’s best defender for large parts of the game, making no error defensively and also contributing a lot as a member of the attacking buildup.

Frenkie de Jong: 8

The Dutch midfielder is now undroppable for Hansi Flick. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The Dutchman was on song once more, controlling the tempo of the game and playing a big part in the team’s pressurizing system off the ball.

Was unlucky to have himself booked in the first half and was forced to see out the second period with caution so as to avoid a disaster.

Pedri: 8.5

Pedri pulled the strings in midfield once again. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Pedri, once again, was Barcelona’s most calm player on the pressure-filled night and simply was perfect with his distribution irrespective of Atletico Madrid’s press.

Put in a great defensive shift as well, tracking back and winning the ball back instantly after the team lost possession on the night.

Fermin Lopez: 7.5

After a serious dilemma, Hansi Flick gave Fermin Lopez the start ahead of Gavi in the attacking midfield and the youngster did not disappoint in any capacity.

The La Masia star put in a monumental shift defensively to keep the possession with the Blaugrana and also combined well with Torres in the half-spaces to constantly create a ruckus.

Lamine Yamal: 8.5

The prodigal talent, as is the routine now, once again danced past defenders for fun on his flank and opened up Atletico Madrid’s defence for fun.

Provided the assist for Ferran’s opening goal at Riyadh Air Metropolitano with a brilliant defence-splitting pass with a quick, astonishing touch that not many saw as a possibility.

Raphinha: 7

The Brazilian finally returned to action against Atletico Madrid for the first time after the international break and started on the left as Barcelona’s winger.

Was not completely on song but did well to threaten from his flank and occasionally even take a shot on goal.

Ferran Torres: 8.5

The ‘Shark’ scored the decisive goal. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Torres was the big surprise in Flick’s XI last night, replacing Robert Lewandowski as the team’s number 9.

Needless to say, he justified the coach’s selection by scoring the opening goal and giving Barcelona the lead with a simple and well-timed finish.