YAMAL, ARAUJO SEND BARCELONA INTO COPA DEL REY SEMI-FINALS
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Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo were on target as Barcelona booked a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals with a tense 2-1 victory over second-division Albacete on Tuesday night.
The record 32-time cup winners were stretched to the limit by their lower-league opponents, who had stunned Real Madrid in the previous round, before holding on in a nervy quarter-final encounter.
Teenage sensation Yamal broke the deadlock just before half-time, while Araujo doubled Barcelona’s advantage early in the second half with a headed finish on his first start since returning from a month-long mental health break late last year.
Despite Barcelona’s dominance for long spells, Albacete refused to fold and set up a dramatic finish when Javi Moreno headed home from a Jose Lazo free-kick in the 87th minute to reduce the deficit.
Hansi Flick’s side controlled possession in the opening half but found it difficult to break down a disciplined Albacete defence. Marcus Rashford spurned early opportunities before the hosts retreated deep to frustrate the visitors.
Barcelona eventually found a way through in the 39th minute when Rashford pressed to win back possession and Frenkie de Jong’s pass fell kindly to Yamal, who curled a composed finish beyond the goalkeeper.
Albacete threatened sporadically, with Antonio Puertas breaking in behind the defence before being denied by Joan Garcia, while a comical moment followed as the goalkeeper accidentally conceded a corner while walking off with the ball.
The visitors started the second half strongly, and Araujo made it 2-0 after the restart. Dani Olmo nearly added a third soon after, but his close-range effort was blocked following a clever Rashford assist.
Albacete continued to push, with Puertas and Jefte Betancor both going close, while a late Puertas strike was ruled out for offside. Moreno’s late header reignited hope for the hosts, but Barcelona survived intense pressure in stoppage time, including a goal-line clearance by Gerard Martin.
The victory sends Barcelona into the semi-finals, where they remain on course to extend their record haul in the competition.
In the remaining quarter-finals, Valencia host Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad visit Alaves on Wednesday, while Atletico Madrid travel to face Real Betis on Thursday.
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