Barcelona defeats Barbastro 3-2 to reach Round of 16 in Copa del Rey

Spanish giants FC Barcelona strumbled more than anticipated in a 3-2 victory over the fourth division football club Barbastro in the 3rd round of the Copa del Rey on Sunday. 

This is yet another dull performance from the Catalan side but somehow they did manage to climb up to the Round of 16. 

Barcelona struggled more than expected in a 3-2 win over fourth-division club Barbastro in the third round of the Copa del Rey on Sunday.

“We suffered more than necessary,” Barcelona boss Xavi Hernández stated. “It’s a game in which you can score several goals, but when you don’t, you end up suffering more than expected.”

The defending La Liga champions were coming off a hard-fought win against the bottom fraggers Almeria and Las Palamas who are in the middle of the table. The side lost three consecutive games before that in all competitions. 

Fermin Lopez opened the scoring for the Barcelona side in the game against Barbastro. A low shot from near the penalty box after a cross from Raphina in the 18th minute put them in a 1-0 lead. Later the Brazilian forward added another goal from close range in the 51st minute. 

The hosts retaliated with a goal by Adria de Mesa off a corner in the 60th minute of the game before Barca’s prime striker Robert Lewandowski came off as a substitute to add the third goal in the 88th minute through a penalty kick. Later on, Marc Prat Serrano scored for Barbastro while the game was three minutes into stoppage time but fell short of a goal for a potential tie which would be of great significance for the hosts. 

Joao Felix had a disallowed goal for offside near the end of half-time. Also, Barca defender Inigo Martinez had to be replaced just 10 minutes after he entered the game during the second half because of an injury. He was recovering from another injury that sidelined him for about a month.