Flick: We will not give up, and we will go to Madrid to secure qualification

Hans Flick, the head coach of Barcelona, confirmed that his team will fight with all their might to secure qualification for the Copa del Rey final when they face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final, after the first leg ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw at the Montjuïc stadium.

In his statements after the match, Flick expressed pride in his team's performance but emphasized the need to address defensive errors, saying: "I am proud of the players, but we need to talk about the goals we conceded. We have a young team, and today it showed it can develop, and we will work on improving some aspects."

Despite the draw, Flick believes the team performed well and was close to winning, as he said: "We dominated the match and played wonderfully for 75 minutes, but after going ahead 4-2, we needed to manage the game better. We have a great opportunity to prove our strength in the second leg, and we will prepare for it in the best way possible."

Flick confirmed that Barcelona will not retreat from their goal of qualification, adding: "Today we showed that we do not give up even after falling behind by two goals at the start. In Madrid, we will give everything to achieve victory and secure a spot in the final."

Flick praised his young defender Pau Kobarci, saying: "He is only 18 years old, but he plays as if he has 350 La Liga matches under his belt. His defensive style is unique and always adds to the team. He is an extremely important player."

Flick emphasized the importance of controlling possession, saying: "We have a strong team, but Atletico pressed us hard. Their attackers are very special, and we lost some confidence in passing. We need to improve that because we do not just want to score goals, but also control the ball."

He also praised some players, saying: "Some players performed wonderfully, like Balde, Kobarci, and Frenkie de Jong, while Lamine is an amazing player who continues to develop. We need to maintain this pace."

Flick concluded his remarks: "We have worked a lot on set pieces, and that showed during the match. The coaching staff did a great job preparing the team, and I am happy about that."

With this draw, the battle for qualification remains open, as the second leg will be decisive in determining which team secures a spot in the Copa del Rey final, scheduled for April 2 at the Metropolitano.