One day after Real Madrid’s embarrassment, defending champions Barcelona also had a surprisingly difficult time against a second division team in the Copa del Rey. Extra time in Santander was particularly tough.
On the eve of the Copa del Rey round of 16, Hansi Flick’s archrival provided him with a cautionary tale of how not to do it: Real Madrid embarrassed themselves against second division side Albacete Balompie and were eliminated with a 2-3 defeat. Defending champions Barcelona, for their part, faced a tough test in Santander on Thursday evening and were determined to avoid a second upset in this round of the cup.
Due to blocked entrances, the match kicked off 15 minutes late. However, the waiting fans did not miss much. In the first 45 minutes, the Catalans’ rather prominent starting eleven appeared rather uninspired. Things got dicey in the tenth minute when former Leipzig player Dani Olmo sailed past Rashford’s cross by inches. Shortly before halftime, the Englishman had a half-chance, but it didn’t lead to a goal (44′).
After the break, the favorites had to come up with more. But Santander’s defense, which was exclusively waiting for counterattacks, initially held firm. However, the Blaugrana increased the tempo. And it should have led to a 1-0 lead: one minute after Lamine Yamal hit the crossbar with a direct corner, it was substitute Fermin who sent Ferran Torres on his way with a simple vertical ball. Torres rounded Racing keeper Jokin Ezkieta and slotted home with ease (66′).
Lozano takes center stage three times
Immediately afterwards, the Spaniard’s work was done for the day, as Flick brought on Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Pedri. However, the trio also seemed to be operating in economy mode. Instead, the stadium briefly went wild in the 77th minute, but Lozano’s goal was rightly disallowed for offside. In response, Jokin Ezkieta saved shots from Fermin, Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal within seconds, denying Flick a 2-0 lead (79′). From then on, the game was full of excitement. Santander did score again, but Lozano’s goal was once more disallowed for offside (86′).
In stoppage time, events finally came to a head when Lozano found himself alone in front of Joan Garcia for the third time – but this time he was not offside. Santander’s striker missed the golden opportunity (90’+4). Immediately afterwards, Lamine Yamal scored the final goal of the game to make it 2-0 (90+5).
The defending champions remain on course for their big goal, albeit with a few bumps along the way. First, however, the traditionally difficult away game at Real Sociedad awaits Pellegrino Matarazzo and Ömer Toprak’s coaching team this coming Sunday.
