Barcelona Crushed: Flick's Team “Taught a Lesson”

Hansi Flick

Hansi Flick says Barcelona's 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid was a “lesson” for his team. Barca faces an uphill battle in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

“It's a mess, it's a mess like that, and then they have to wait I don't know how many minutes...”

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick described his team's 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg as a “lesson.” Flick stated that his players didn't work as a team, particularly in the first half, which led to the humiliating defeat.

Atletico Madrid dominated the game, scoring four goals before halftime, with Eric Garcia scoring an own goal, followed by goals from Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, and Julian Alvarez. Flick acknowledged that his team didn't press well and had too much distance between players, but saw some improvement in the second half.

“We didn't play well in the first half as a team, we didn't play like a team,” Flick told reporters.

“The distance between everyone was too long and we didn't press how we wanted.”

Hansi Flick believes Barcelona's Copa del Rey defeat could be a valuable lesson for his team, potentially benefiting them later in the season.

“In the first 45 minutes we were handed a big lesson. Sometimes it's good to get (that) in the right moment, maybe today is the right moment,” continued Flick.

“The second half was much better and we have one game more and we will fight (to win) that.”

Pau Cubarsi's second-half goal was ruled out for offside, sparking frustration among Barca fans. The VAR review dragged on, leaving spectators in the stadium and at home confused about who was offside and why.

Hansi Flick 🆚 VAR 🚨

“It was clearly NOT offside”. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/8PtDQCipIi

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 12, 2026

“It's a mess, it's a mess like that, and then they have to wait I don't know how many minutes, was it seven minutes? Oh come on,” complained Flick.

“They found something in the seven minutes? Okay. For me, when I saw this situation it was clear (there was) no offside, but at the end maybe they could see something different, but tell us.

“There was no communication and this is so bad here.”