Barcelona forward Neymar (right) celebrates with teammates Andres Iniesta (left) and Lionel Messi after scoring during their Spanish Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) quarter-final second leg match against Atletico Madrid, at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on Wednesday. (AFP)

Reuters/Barcelona

Neymar struck twice as Barcelona came from behind to seal a 3-2 victory over nine-man Atletico Madrid and reach the King’s Cup semi-finals 4-2 on aggregate on Wednesday.
Fernando Torres put Atletico ahead inside the first minute with a precise strike from the edge of the area but Barca have clicked into form recently and hit back quickly through Neymar.
Atletico were awarded a penalty when Javier Mascherano was adjudged to have fouled Juanfran Torres on the half-hour mark, though television replays appeared to show the incident occurred outside the area. Raul Garcia made no mistake from the spot to restore Atletico’s advantage.
Miranda put the ball into his own net as he attempted to clear a corner which had been flicked on by Sergio Busquets and in a lightning attack from Barca Jordi Alba found Neymar in the area and the Brazilian finished clinically.
There were heated exchanges throughout the match with plenty at stake and it boiled over at halftime with Atletico midfielder Gabi Fernandez sent off following a confrontation in the tunnel.
Mario Suarez was also dismissed six minutes from the end after receiving his second yellow card.
The Atletico players were angry with the performance of the referee but Busquets felt that neither side benefited from his decisions.
“I’ve also been told that the penalty conceded by Mascherano shouldn’t have been given. There were mistakes made against both teams,” he told reporters.
“There was little control in the game in the first half. It was a good half for the fans and we took advantage of the openings that we had.”
Despite the fact they were chasing the game, Atletico coach Diego Simeone said he asked his players to show more restraint at half time.
“I told them not to take risks and concentrate on not conceding goals,” he told a news conference. “I thought it was the best decision for the team and the club after the way the first half went.”
Barca will face the winners of Getafe and Villarreal game, with the latter leading 1-0 from the first leg.

Improving Neymar key to Barca’s pursuit of Real
Neymar took time to settle but is finally shining in Barcelona’s devastating attacking trident with Villarreal the next La Liga opponents in their sights on Sunday as the Catalans continue their pursuit of Real Madrid. The pressure of expectation and scandal over the true cost of his transfer fee from Santos in 2013 led former president Sandro Rosell to resign and appeared to weigh heavily on Neymar during his first season at the Nou Camp.
He also found it difficult to adapt to the physical demands of the Spanish league and picked up a series of injuries.
The Brazilian took a share of the blame for Barca finishing last season without a major trophy but helped by the media glare turning towards controversial signing Luis Suarez, Neymar is realising his true potential on European soil.
The return to form of Lionel Messi has also played a part, while Suarez, although yet to show the lethal finishing he possessed at Liverpool, is linking up well.
Messi has more goals this season but Neymar has developed a habit of scoring in crucial matches, including his double as Barca twice came from behind to knock Atletico Madrid out of the King’s Cup.
Surprisingly, as the Catalan side are renowned for their short passing game through midfield, both goals came from rapid counter-attacks.
The first saw the forward trio combine to tear Atletico’s defence apart with Messi finding Suarez, who in turn set up Neymar to finish clinically.
Neymar’s over-exuberant celebrations and posturing on the pitch seemed to agitate the Atletico players and coach Luis Enrique felt it wise to take him off for the final 15 minutes.
“Neymar was his usual confident self and he gave us a lot in attack as well as defence. His game is about beating players and he did very well,” the Barca coach told reporters.
“The game was getting a bit ugly and so we took Neymar off so that it didn’t get any worse.”
Real Madrid, a point clear of Barca at the top, take on Real Sociedad tomorrow without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, while Atletico, four points off the pace, aim to bounce back from their cup defeat when they travel to Eibar.