Barcelona Overcomes Early Setback to Secure Quarter-Final Spot in Copa del Rey

Barcelona successfully navigated the blue and garnet challenge in the single-leg tie in Salamanca against a lower-ranked opponent. The team, led by Xavi, emerged victorious against Unionistas de Salamanca with a 3-1 scoreline, securing a spot in the Copa del Rey Quarter-Finals. Despite a lackluster performance in a game that began with a deficit due to Álvaro Gómez’s goal, Barcelona rallied back with goals from Ferran, Koundé, and Balde. Following their defeat to Real Madrid in the Supercopa, an improvement was anticipated, and the only positive news was the qualification, while the familiar pattern persisted – minimal football spectacle, limited collective play, and a team struggling to secure victories.

Before the kickoff, it was assumed that Xavi had a game plan and a script in mind for the clash against Unionistas. However, judging by the first half, his players either did not comprehend it, failed to execute it, or, worse, chose not to. Barcelona couldn’t control the match against Unionistas in the opening half, displaying a recurring pattern where the opponent had the first chance within a minute. The team still struggles to rectify the issue of starting matches sluggishly, and Losada had a near miss in the early minutes. The enthusiastic hunger of the local team, playing the match of their lives, contrasted with the passiveness of the visiting players who perceived the Salamanca encounter as another obstacle rather than a crucial step in the team’s recovery post-Supercopa defeat. Minutes passed without significant improvement. Joao Félix, the only starter warming up in a tracksuit before the match, seemed disoriented. Meanwhile, Ferran and Sergi Roberto disagreed on every exchange, pointing out each other’s mistakes. The midfield was notably absent, and only Frenkie de Jong timidly initiated attempts to move from the back to the front to catch the locals off guard. When reaching the box became challenging, Barcelona’s resort was to send crosses to Guiu, and the young player forced the goalkeeper into a notable save. Unionistas had been dormant since the start, but a well-executed counterattack, with the Barça defense caught off guard, delivered the initial blow. Losada passed to Serrano, who lofted the ball from the left to the far post, where Álvaro Gómez hammered it past Peña, securing a 1-0 lead. The Reina Sofía stadium erupted with chants of ‘yes, we can,’ and Xavi’s expression mirrored his concern. Despite Unionistas having opportunities to score a second, and even a third, before halftime, Barcelona’s inadvertent stroke of luck came when Ferran equalized just before the interval. Joao woke up, assisted Ferran, who sprinted from midfield, and skillfully placed the ball past the goalkeeper into the right corner. Adding a touch of drama, Ferran celebrated by cupping his ear, inciting the wrath of the home fans, who had not been disrespectful to him until that moment.