Barcelona Edges Albacete to Secure Copa Semifinal Spot
Lamine Yamal broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, curling a left-footed shot into the far corner after Marcus Rashford won possession in midfield.
Operating with numerous alterations to its usual starting eleven, Barcelona struggled to penetrate a well-organized Albacete defensive structure prior to the opening goal. Rashford delivered a low ball across the face of goal in the third minute and wasted a clear chance five minutes later after being slipped through by Dani Olmo.
Albacete also posed threats during the opening period. Agus Medina shot straight at goalkeeper Joan Garcia, while Antonio Puertas twice tested Garcia after turnovers in the Barcelona half.
Ronald Araujo doubled Barcelona's lead in the 58th minute with a header from a corner. Robert Lewandowski should have made it 3-0 soon after, but fired tamely at Raul Lizoain when well placed.
Lizoain later denied Ferran Torres, who replaced Lewandowski as the game opened up, while Albacete missed opportunities of its own. Jefte Betancor headed over when unmarked and then had a goal ruled out for offside in the 84th minute.
Albacete pulled one back in the 87th minute through Javi Moreno's diving header to set up a tense finish. Torres had a goal disallowed for offside at the other end, and Barcelona defender Gerard Martin cleared Fran Gamez's chipped effort off the line to preserve the win.
Two additional quarterfinal clashes are scheduled for Wednesday, with Alaves hosting Real Sociedad and Valencia at home to Athletic Club. Real Betis hosts Atletico Madrid on Thursday.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
