They say that common sense is the least common of senses and no competition is as prone to surprises as the single-match Copa del Rey. However, Barcelona put a lot of effort into overcoming their tie against Barbastro. In its figurative meaning but also in the literal one. Because with two headers the Blaugrana put both feet in the round of 16 of the cup tournament.
Two shots in the heart of the area originating from set pieces paved the way for Barça, which cut short the dream of the local fans, who filled the Barbastro municipal field. First Eric Garcia, an unusual scorer, and then Lewandowski, a classic scorer, put the ball in the middle in the first half hour, something notable since Arnau, Barbastro’s Catalan goalkeeper, had not yet scored to stop Amorebieta and to Espanyol.
Hansi Flick’s team played without pure wingers (Raphinha didn’t even travel and Lamine Yamal is still injured), but they were still able to hang many balls into the area from the wings to find their headers. Furthermore, to promote that success in the shot, Barça had that exquisite glove that Pablo Torre, a footballer with sybaritic details, has on his right foot.
In the midst of the maelstrom due to the crisis of failed registrations, with Olmo and Pau Víctor watching the game from home out of obligation as they lacked a federation card since New Year’s Eve, for Barcelona the visit to Barbastro was a balm. Oblivious to the noise that in the world of football haunts the club due to the planning problems of its board, the Blaugrana had a great time on a festive day in the Huesca town.
Flick didn’t stop signing autographs at the hotel and on the field. And then he greatly applauded the performance of his players.
Unlike last season, when the team led by Xavi suffered too much in the same scenario, Barça demonstrated from the first minute the difference of three categories with its rival, sixteenth in the Second RFEF. Wanting to forget their bad streak in the League to close the year, the Blaugrana were focused, effective and mature so that the duel was much more peaceful than what they usually expect.
That seriousness was helped by the lineup, where regular players were mixed with names that there was a desire to see in the eleven. For example, Szczesny made his debut in goal after three months of just training. The Pole only had to intervene in a soft shot by Javito in the first half and in diving at the feet of Sito Barrera in the second half. Araújo also reappeared after the injury that led him to undergo surgery in the center of defense. He did it for 90 minutes as captain and was paired at the beginning with Iñigo Martínez and the last half hour alongside Cubarsí. The first chance was for the Uruguayan in a corner in which Arnau excelled.
To surround them well at the end of their inactivity, the competitiveness of Koundé and Iñigo, the criteria of Pedri and the gunpowder of Lewandowski were chosen. Four of Flick’s guard who are very confident.
Instead, the 0-1 score rewarded two needy players like De Jong, who hung the ball, so that Araújo assisted with a header so that Eric Garcia could put his head up and find the net. In contrast, the goal eluded Fermín, who was struggling with the definition.
The droughts of Lewandowski, area forward, do not last long. And even more so if he has a partner like Pablo Torre, who gave him the second and third goals for Barça so that the Polish number nine now has 25 this season, one less than last season. The Pole made it 0-2 with his head with the collaboration of a rebound from a defender and made it 0-3, as soon as the second half began, after gaining position for his marker in a break.
Torre’s good performance, with two assists, was rewarded when he stole the wallet from the local goalkeeper, who trusted his feet. The Cantabrian took the ball and scored at will. With logic dominating, Flick remembered the young Toni Fernández, another special talent from La Masia, who was able to debut at 16 years, 5 months and 17 days. Only Lamine Yamal made him younger. It was the culmination of a ticket with a lot of brains and a lot of head to forget the sorrows.
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