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Giantkillers Albacete Push Holders Barcelona to the Brink
4 Feb
Summary
- Albacete, a Segunda Division team, threatened Barcelona's Copa del Rey advancement.
- Lamine Yamal scored a superb opening goal before halftime for Barcelona.
- Ronald Araújo doubled Barcelona's lead with a second-half header.
Barcelona advanced to the Copa del Rey semifinals, though their match against Albacete was a tense affair. Albacete, a team from the Segunda Division, had previously eliminated Real Madrid and continued to impress against the reigning champions. Albacete's Javi Moreno scored with three minutes remaining, creating a nervous finish for Barcelona.
Lamine Yamal broke the deadlock for Barcelona six minutes before halftime, scoring with a precise finish. Eleven minutes into the second half, Ronald Araújo doubled Barcelona's lead with a header from a corner. Albacete's goalkeeper made several saves to keep his team in the game, while Barcelona also missed opportunities to seal the victory earlier.
Despite a late goal from Javi Moreno for Albacete, which narrowed the deficit to 2-1, Barcelona managed to hold on to their lead and secure passage to the next round. A late effort from Ferran Torres was disallowed by VAR for offside, highlighting the tight nature of the contest.
