Lionel Messi scored late on to help Barcelona record a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Atletico frustrated the home side for long spells of the contest.

However, Messi's strike, which came after Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak had denied the Argentine from the penalty spot, ensured that Barca would take a narrow lead into the second leg next week.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.

Match statistics

BARCA
Shots: 12
On target: 4
Possession: 68%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 11

ATLETICO
Shots: 8
On target: 1
Possession: 32%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 12

Was the result fair?

In truth, a narrow Barca win was just about a fair reflection of the events at Camp Nou, but losing at that stage of the match will be difficult for Atletico to take. As expected, the hosts dominated possession on their own patch, with Atletico sitting deep and hoping to cause problems on the counter-attack. That did occur, but the visitors really struggled for clear opportunities.

Barca always looked the team more likely to win it, but the second period was a struggle for the Catalan outfit, who became more and more frustrated due to Atletico's unwillingness to budge. The winner eventually came from the penalty spot - indirectly at least - with Messi scoring after Oblak had denied the Argentine with his initial effort. Atletico will have some misgivings over the decision, but replays did show that Juanfran clipped Sergio Busquets inside the area.

Barca's performance

Barca put in their best performance of the season against Atletico just 10 days ago, but they could not repeat that here. Atletico appeared to have learned their mistakes from that match and took no risks in the early moments. The hosts did create chances in the first 45 minutes, but Luis Suarez was guilty of firing their best opportunity over the crossbar from close range. The Catalan outfit had no problems defensively, but they did really struggle to break the Spanish champions down in the final third.

Messi eventually came up trumps for Barca, but it was a frustrating evening for Suarez, who was guilty of missing a couple of good chances, while he also picked up a booking late on for dissent. Neymar also floated in and out of the match, while Dani Alves and Jordi Alba struggled with their delivery. It was a fairly mediocre performance truth be told, but Atletico are one of the hardest teams in European football to break down. Vitally, Barca now have a lead ahead of the second leg.

Atletico's performance

As touched on above, Atletico's approach at Camp Nou was not a surprise. They were not really interested in attacking for long periods of the match, which is demonstrated by the fact that they only had one attempt on target. Fernando Torres started as the lone forward before departing at the break, but Mario Mandzukic also struggled in the second 45 minutes. In truth, it was a difficult for the Atletico frontline due to Barcelona's complete and utter domination of the ball.

Defensively, however, Atletico were back to their very best. Miranda returned to the team alongside Diego Godin and the pair were excellent at the heart of the defence. All 10 outfield players worked their socks off for the Spanish champions, who had clearly come for a draw. They were so close to taking a draw back to Madrid, but Messi had other ideas late on. The tie is still very much in the balance ahead of next Wednesday's return match, but Atletico will need to improve going forward.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Lionel Messi: In truth, it was not really a match where one player particularly starred, but Messi just picks up the award for deciding the match. The Argentine caused all sorts of problems in the first period as he floated over the pitch, while he was the one player that looked like making something happen in the final third. Where would Barca be without him?

Biggest gaffe

As mentioned, Suarez had a poor night. The Barca forward missed a gilt-edged chance in the first half after being set up by Ivan Rakitic, but it was the Uruguay international's overall conduct that was the most disappointing. The former Liverpool attacker rightly picked up a booking late on for dissent and was too concerned with throwing himself to the ground on a number of occasions.

Referee performance

Incredibly, Jose Gonzalez had a very quiet first half at the Camp Nou - issuing just one yellow card and that did not arrive until the 45th minute. However, it was a busy second period for the referee. Barca became increasingly frustrated with what they believed to be favouritism towards Atletico, but under the circumstances, Gonzalez had a decent match. The official was also correct to award Barca a late penalty when Juanfran felled Busquets inside the box. It could be considered a touch harsh on Atletico, but there was contact and in the modern day, a penalty was just about the right decision.

What next?

Barca: Barca return to league action on Saturday with a trip to Elche.

Atletico: The Spanish champions, meanwhile, host Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.