Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo scored in the first half as Barcelona defeated second-tier Albacete 2-1 on Tuesday to advance to the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Albacete shocked Real Madrid in the Round of 16, defeating the Spanish giants in new coach Rubaro Arbeloa’s debut game.
Barcelona achieved their 16th win in their last 17 games in all competitions, with their only setback being last month’s loss to Real Sociedad in the Spanish league.
Barcelona advanced to the last four of the Copa for the fourth consecutive season. Last year, they played against Madrid in the final and won the championship.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Araujo said. “Copa matches are not decided until the end. They found the goal and it is normal to attack in the last minutes. The team coped well. We are in the semi-finals and that is what is important.”
Barcelona’s 16th win in their last 17 games
Yamal took the lead in the 39th minute with a left-footed shot from inside the area, assisted by midfielder Frenkie de Jong. This was his fifth goal in his last six games for the club.
Araujo extended their lead in the 56th minute with a header from Marcus Rashford’s corner. It was the central defender’s first goal since taking time off to deal with his mental health last year.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick did not include Rafinha, Gabi or Pedri in his squad.
Albacete had a goal ruled out for offside in the 84th minute, but Javi Moreno scored three minutes later.
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres’ late goal was also disallowed for offside. Albacete almost equalized minutes later, but Gerard Martin’s clearance on the goal line denied him.
“We are very proud.”
Albacete, who also eliminated Celta Vigo in the round of 32, are in 12th place in the second division. In the 1994-95 season, they reached the Copa semi-finals.
“We’re very proud,” Moreno said. “Who would have thought that we would beat Celta and Real Madrid and do well against Barcelona?”
Barcelona leads the Spanish league, one point ahead of Madrid.
The other two games in the last eight will take place on Wednesday, with Valencia visiting Athletic Bilbao and Sociedad visiting Alaves. On Thursday, Real Betis host Atlético Madrid.
The semi-finals will be held in two legs. The final will be held in Seville in April.
