Barcelona advanced to the Copa del Rey semi-finals following a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesdayevening in the second leg of their quarter-final at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.Atletico twice took the lead: initially through Fernando Torres in the first minute and a second time via Raul Garcia on the half-hour mark. But twice Barcelona hit back, pulling level in the ninth minute after Neymar finished off a blistering attack and again in the 38th minute thanks to an own goal by Miranda.Neymar netted a second time in the 41st minute to give Barcelona their first lead, an advantage they would not surrender on the way to a 4-2 aggregate victory.Atletico finished the match with nine men after Gabi and Mario Suarez were sent off.Barcelona will now play in the semi-finals against either Villarreal or Getafe. With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both eliminated, Luis Enrique's side will be considered heavy favourites to lift the trophy at the end of the season.Meanwhile, Barcelona also remain alive in the hunt for silverware in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. If the Blaugrana can overtake leaders Real Madrid atop the Spanish table and successfully navigate the Champions League knockout stages, an impressive treble of trophies will be theirs.That is a long way off, of course, and first Barca will turn their attention to league play and a home match against Villarreal on Sunday. Atletico Madrid play at Eibar on Saturday.After last week's first leg ended in a 1-0 victory for Barcelona, many onlookers might have expected another tight match in the return leg. But less than a minute after kick-off, Atletico already had the lead.Much like in the previous round against Real Madrid, Torres was the quick-fire scorer. A wayward pass from Barcelona's Javier Mascherano allowed Guilherme Siqueira to win possession for the hosts near the midfield stripe. The ball bounced free to Torres near the edge of the box, and Torres took a touch to sidestep Mascherano before firing in his shot at the far post.The game was barely 40 seconds old, but Atletico were level on aggregate. It didn't last long, however, as Barcelona equalised eight minutes later.The goal came via a counter, with Lionel Messi starting the move with a fine pass to Luis Suarez near the midfield stripe. Suarez spotted Neymar streaking down the middle of the pitch and picked out the Brazilian with a perfect pass to cut open Atletico's defence. After reaching the box, Neymar took the ball wide to the right before finishing at the far post for the equaliser.With that, Barcelona led 2-1 on aggregate and also held a vital advantage with an away goal. But Atletico were far from finished, and in the 28th minute, the hosts won a penalty. The decision was controversial, with replays showing that Atletico's Juanfran had run into Mascherano outside the Barcelona box.Nevertheless, the referee awarded a penalty, which Garcia converted in the 30th minute for a 2-1 Atletico advantage.Once again, though, the lead did not last long. Barcelona pulled level a second time in the 38th minute via a set-piece situation. Ivan Rakitic swung in a corner from the right, picking out Sergio Busquets, who nodded down a header toward the far post. Atletico defender Miranda was on hand to deal with the danger, but his attempted clearance flew straight into his own net, making the score 2-2.Barcelona's aggregate lead was restored, and in the 41st minute, the visitors went even further aheadthough not without controversy.The scoring sequence started with Barcelona's Jordi Alba blocking an Antoine Griezmann shot inside the box. Atletico appealed for a handball, but the referee allowed play to continue. Barcelona attacked quickly as Messi led a swift move down the pitch. Nearing the opposite box, the Argentine curled a pass to the left-hand flank for Alba, who knocked the ball back into the path of Neymar.After rounding Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak with a deft first touch, Neymar tapped into the unguarded net for Barcelona's first lead of the night.Leading 3-2 on the night, Barca held a two-goal aggregate advantage at half-time of the second leg.Atletico had to play the entire second half with a numerical disadvantage after Gabi was sent off as the teams departed the field at half-time.And as the second half began, the hosts were unable to match their electric start to the game.Atletico had a chance to equalise in the 71st minute, but Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen saved Cani's shot with his right hand. At the other end one minute later, Messi's tame effort rolled straight to Oblak, who saved.Oblak made two more saves within moments of each other in the 81st minute, first stopping Andres Iniesta and then Pedro as Barcelona tried to extend their lead.With Barca cruising, Atletico's plight became even worse in the 84th minute when Mario Suarez drew a red card for his second bookable offence. That meant Atletico had to play the final moments with nine men, effectively ending the match as a contest.GradesReactionAtletico Madrid midfielder Gabi on his sending off, viaFootball Espana:Well my words were 'Jesus, it was a penalty and a red card; you'll see on TV that you're wrong.Then he yelled at me and said 'you're sent off'. I didn't say anything else to him.The team were outnumbered and it was noticeable in the second half.We all make mistakes, but we must acknowledge our errors, we certainly have to.(Referees) must take more responsibility and have more dialogue with the players.Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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