Santander, Jan 16: Defending champions Barcelona safely navigated a tricky Copa del Rey test on Thursday night, defeating second-division leaders Racing Santander 2–0 at Estadio El Sardinero to book their place in the quarterfinals of Spain’s premier knockout competition.
A day after rivals Real Madrid suffered a shock elimination, Barcelona showed composure and depth to avoid an upset, extending their winning streak to 11 matches in all competitions.
After a tight first half, Ferran Torres finally broke the resistance in the 66th minute, racing onto a through ball from Fermín López, rounding the goalkeeper and finishing into an empty net. Teenager Lamine Yamal put the result beyond doubt deep into stoppage time, scoring in the sixth minute of added time to cap a dominant late spell.
Racing Santander threatened at times at a lively Estadio El Sardinero, having two goals ruled out for offside and missing a late one-on-one chance that was brilliantly saved by Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick rotated his squad, resting key players such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Pedri, all of whom came on in the second half to help control the closing stages.
Source: ESPN
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