Barcelona beat 2-1 Albacete for the quarterfinals of the King’s Cup at the Carlos Belmonte Stadium. Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araújo scored for the visiting team. Javi Moreno scored for the homeowner.
The LaLiga leader came into this clash with several weight losses such as Pedri and Raphinha, but with the obligation to face a rival of much lower hierarchy.
Although control of the ball and dominance of the game were logical for Barcelona during the first half hour of play, dangerous situations were rare in both goals. Marcus Rashford was one-on-one at 7′ with Raúl Lizoain, but he had no aim and wasted the clearest shot of that period of the match.
At 38′, Lamine Yamal received a required pass from De Jong and scored first with the inside of his foot to open the scoring and bring some peace of mind to a Barcelona team that was uncomfortable in the game.
At the beginning of the complement, with more spaces than in the initial stage, each advance of the culé team was more dangerous. Marcus Rashford, one of the most active players in the visiting offensive, took the corner that ended up on Ronald Araújo’s head in the 56th minute and then made it 2-0. Lizoain stretched to his maximum, but could not prevent the goal.
And if Barcelona found openings to hurt with its advances with the match 1-0, after the Uruguayan’s goal this happened in a more obvious way. Yamal, resting on the right wing, began to face his marker repeatedly and that was not good news for Albacete.
With seven minutes left before the end, the local fans were celebrating Jefte Betancor’s discount, but the lineman raised the flag and brought relief to the visitor, who had just wasted some very clear opportunities. But in the next one, a shot from Javi Moreno was impossible for Joan García to stop and Albacete was within striking distance of a tie.
Beyond a chance by Francisco Gámez, which was saved on the line by Eric García, Barcelona qualified for the semifinals and was two games away from its 33rd title in the Copa del Rey. His next rival: the winner of Alavés vs. Royal Society.
