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What a dramatic match we have witnessed in the quarterfinal of the Copa Del Rey! FC Barcelona, the most successful team in the Copa Del Rey with 31 titles, have been eliminated by Athletic Club from the quarterfinal. Athletic Club, managed by the former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, welcomed Barcelona at San Memes, where the home side destroyed the visitors in the extra time. Athletic Club secured a thrilling 4-2 victory against Barcelona, resulting in Barcelona eliminating from the Copa Del Rey.
Match Report
Athletic Club welcomed Barcelona last night at San Memes, where former Barca manager Ernesto Valverde played his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation. On the other side, Barca boss Xavi Hernandez set up his team formation with 4-3-3. Barca’s frontline was made up of Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, and the teenage wonder kid Lamine Yamal.
However, the match started with Athletic Club stunning the visitors at San Memes. The home side got an immediate goal after the kick-off as Gorka Guruzeta found the net in just the 30th second of the match. Barcelona, however, responded well and were desperate to find the equalizer.
After all, the Xavi boys leveled the scoreline when defender Berchiche tried to clear the ball from the box, but it reflected off Robert Lewandowski and went into the net in the 26th minute. This goal was a huge motivation for the visitors, leading to another one within a few minutes. Lamine Yamal stepped forward to give Barcelona a lead as he found the net from a long-range shot in the 32nd minute. The home side couldn’t score more in the first half. As a result, Barcelona went to the break with a one-goal lead.
Athletic Club changed their approach in the second half, becoming more aggressive. They leveled the scoreline at the very beginning of the second half. In the 49th minute, the home side found the equalizer as Oihan Sancet scored a brilliant goal with a powerful header.
After that, both sides tried hard to find the net but failed. However, the best chance for Barcelona came in the 85th minutes when Lamine Yamal got Athletic’s goalkeeper 1V1. He also successfully dribbled past the goalkeeper, but his shot didn’t find the empty net! As a result, the match went to extra-time, where Atheltic Club stole the show.
Athletic Club got their much-awaited lead when Inaki Williams found the net in the 107th minute. The home side hammared the last neil to Barcelona’s coffin when Nico Williams scored in the very last second of the extra time., securing a thrilling victory by 4-2 margin against FC Barcelona. As a result, Athletic Club advanced to the semifinal, while FC Barcelona have been eliminated from the quarterfinal.
Xavi On Losing the Game
Barca boss Xavi shared his thoughts on losing the game. He said, “The venue was very difficult as Athletic are an intense and aggressive team, the most physical in the league.”
“We have our all. We have to be proud because we competed. We have to take away the fact that we battled with young players but it just did not come off. Barça has a future as this is the start of a great generation,” Xavi added.
