Diego Simeone showered praise on his Atletico Madrid players for showing resilience in their thrilling 4-4 draw against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday. 

After a lightning start that saw Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann put Atletico two goals in front just six minutes into the contest, Barcelona responded emphatically. 

Hansi Flick's side raced into a 4-2 lead heading into the final 10 minutes, only for late strikes from Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth to seal a dramatic draw. 

The tie is finely poised heading into the semi-final second leg between the two sides in April, and Simeone is aiming to build on their impressive showing at the Camp Nou.

"What stands out most for me is this team's spirit. There is an incredible gladiatorial spirit by the players that is inspiring," the Argentinian told a press conference.

"Barcelona have extraordinary tools, but we have our own, and we showed out there what we are made of.

"The celebration of the fourth goal was just an explosion of joy.

"The 4-2 scoreline seemed difficult to turn around and the courage of the players was incredible, to equalise and leave the tie level for the return leg on April 2.

"The team showed great character and worked a very strong match, always playing with the same mentality and with an enormous spirit of competition."

Indeed, this was the first match in any competition between Barcelona and Atletico to have at least eight goals since a 5-4 win for the Azulgrana, also in the Copa del Rey, back in March 1997.

Despite praising his players, Simeone was still unhappy with some aspects of their performance, most notably their inability to defend two corners that led to goals. 

Pau Cubarsi headed home from Raphinha's set-piece, before the Brazilian turned provider again with another corner that was dispatched by Inigo Martinez just before half-time.

"It's impossible for a team like Barcelona to finish a match without scoring a goal, but what bothers me is when they score two goals from set pieces," Simeone said. 

"It's a matter of individual and collective efforts that we need to correct. 

"However, the game was not an easy one to play, but the boys showed a competitive spirit that I am passionate about."