Barcelona booked their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Albacete at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte on Tuesday night, surviving a tense late spell to avoid a giant-killing upset.
The Blaugrana arrived wary of danger after Albacete’s dramatic comeback win over Real Madrid in the previous round, a result that had already set the tone for this quarter-final showdown, as reported by SoftFootball.
Hansi Flick’s side controlled the early stages, dominating possession and pushing Albacete deep, much like they did in recent league form that has kept them winning consistently this season. Albacete, who had been built up as dangerous hosts ahead of kick-off, defended in numbers and waited for moments to break.
Barcelona’s pressure finally told in the 39th minute. Marcus Rashford intercepted a loose pass in midfield and released Lamine Yamal, who kept his composure to finish low past Raúl Lizoain for his 14th goal of the season. The hosts had earlier lost Carlos Neva to injury, and the disruption showed as Barcelona went into the break deservedly ahead.
The visitors doubled their lead shortly after halftime when Ronald Araújo rose highest to power home a Rashford corner in the 57th minute. It looked comfortable at that point, even as Dani Olmo went close and Yamal continued to trouble the Albacete back line.
Albacete refused to fade, and the atmosphere lifted late on. Substitute Jefté Betancor caused problems before Javi Moreno pulled one back in the 86th minute with a superb diving header from José Lazo’s free kick. Moments later, Ferran Torres thought he had sealed the tie, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside.
The final minutes were frantic as Albacete threw everything forward, even forcing a goal-line clearance, but Barcelona held firm through disciplined defending and game management.
The victory, shared by the club’s official X account, makes it 16 wins in Barcelona’s last 17 matches in all competitions and keeps Flick’s side firmly on course for another piece of silverware, while Albacete exit with pride after a memorable cup run.
