Messi, Suarez give Barca Copa edge over Atletico
Print Edition
LUIS Suarez and Lionel Messi did the damage again for Barcelona, scoring superb first-half goals as the defending champion won 2-1 at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday.
Suarez scored after a run from almost the halfway line in the seventh minute, and Messi added to the lead with a powerful shot from outside the area in the 33rd.
Messi and Suarez each have scored seven goals in nine matches this year.
France striker Antoine Griezmann pulled a goal back for Atletico with a 59th-minute header, and the hosts pressured for the rest of the match at a packed Vicente Calderon Stadium.
But Barcelona, playing without injured midfielders Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta, held on for a win that puts it in a good position to reach the Copa final for the fourth straight season after next week’s second leg at the Nou Camp. It has won the trophy three times in the last five seasons.
“In the end we could have sealed it with another goal, but we also could have conceded one,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said of Atletico. “I’m satisfied with the result.”
Celta Vigo was hosting Alaves in the first leg of the other semifinal yesterday. Celta eliminated Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.
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