Barcelona secures Copa del Rey spot with dramatic win over Albacete
Barcelona edged second-tier side Albacete out of the Spanish Cup with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday, booking their place in the semifinals. The victory marked a fitting end to Albacete's fairy tale run, which had seen them upset Celta Vigo and Real Madrid in previous rounds.
Lamine Yamal scored the opener just before the halftime break, capitalizing on a deflection from Marcus Rashford to send his team into the lead. Ronald Araujo sealed the win with a headed goal in the second half, but Albacete pulled one back through Javier Moreno in stoppage time to set up a frantic finale.
The match was marked by several late scares for Barcelona, including a free header that sailed wide and a dramatic clearance off the line from Gerard Martin. However, the La Liga leaders ultimately held on to secure their place in the semifinals, setting them up for a potential showdown with Deportivo Alaves or Real Sociedad.
Albacete's run has been nothing short of astonishing, with the side overcoming higher-placed teams in previous rounds. For Barcelona, however, it was a welcome return to form after a recent slump in results. The victory is a significant boost for coach Xavi Hernandez as his team looks to defend their Copa del Rey title.
The semifinals are set to kick off on Wednesday and Thursday, with Deportivo Alaves facing Real Sociedad and Valencia hosting Athletic Bilbao. Atletico Madrid will then visit Real Betis on Thursday in the other quarterfinal match-ups.
Barcelona edged second-tier side Albacete out of the Spanish Cup with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday, booking their place in the semifinals. The victory marked a fitting end to Albacete's fairy tale run, which had seen them upset Celta Vigo and Real Madrid in previous rounds.
Lamine Yamal scored the opener just before the halftime break, capitalizing on a deflection from Marcus Rashford to send his team into the lead. Ronald Araujo sealed the win with a headed goal in the second half, but Albacete pulled one back through Javier Moreno in stoppage time to set up a frantic finale.
The match was marked by several late scares for Barcelona, including a free header that sailed wide and a dramatic clearance off the line from Gerard Martin. However, the La Liga leaders ultimately held on to secure their place in the semifinals, setting them up for a potential showdown with Deportivo Alaves or Real Sociedad.
Albacete's run has been nothing short of astonishing, with the side overcoming higher-placed teams in previous rounds. For Barcelona, however, it was a welcome return to form after a recent slump in results. The victory is a significant boost for coach Xavi Hernandez as his team looks to defend their Copa del Rey title.
The semifinals are set to kick off on Wednesday and Thursday, with Deportivo Alaves facing Real Sociedad and Valencia hosting Athletic Bilbao. Atletico Madrid will then visit Real Betis on Thursday in the other quarterfinal match-ups.
Barcelona just needed that win to lift their confidence after a few losses 
. They played really well, especially Ronald Araujo - what a headed goal in the second half 
️! Albacete's run is crazy though, I don't think anyone expected them to go as far as they did 
. Now that Barcelona is through to the semis, it'll be interesting to see who they draw next... hopefully not too tough opponents 
. Xavi's got his team back on track now, let's hope they can carry this momentum into the finals 
!
! I was worried they were gonna choke after their last few losses but Xavi Hernandez must've given them some serious pep talk because they totally turned it around 
for making it this far in the competition! Their fairy tale run is seriously inspiring 
. Now I'm hyped for the semis – Deportivo Alaves vs Real Sociedad and Valencia hosting Athletic Bilbao, it's gonna be a wild ride! Bring it on 
. The drama in this game was insane - like when Marcus Rashford's deflection almost gave Albacete the win 
. And Gerard Martin's clearance off the line? FORGET ABOUT IT 
can't wait to see what happens next 
. Can't they just stick to a normal layout for once? And what's with all the unnecessary emojis in the news posts? It's like they're trying to distract us from the real issue at hand - the quality of the content 
. I'm just glad Xavi got his team back on track - now can we please have more in-depth analysis of the game rather than just surface-level reactions? 
and what's up with marcus rashford? is he a barcelona player now? 
but barca needed this win so badly, xavi hernandez must be so relieved 
Ronald Araujo sealed it with dat headed goal in da second half but dey had to hold on 4 a secunde 
his tactics are really paying off and it's great to see them secure that Copa del Rey spot 
albacete though had a fairy tale run but gotta give credit to barca for grinding out the win 
those late scares were intense 
can't wait to see the rest of the semifinals unfold! #CopaDelRey #Barcelona #Albacete
. Don't get me wrong, it's cool for Albacete to have had the run, but let's not exaggerate their chances against Barcelona. The Copa del Rey is still a big deal, but I think we're reading too much into this one win 
.