Messi & De Jong Send Barca To Copa Last Eight
28 January, 2021
Copa del Rey
Result: Rayo Vallecano 1-2 FC Barcelona
Date: 27 January 2021
Venue: Estadio de Vallecas
FC Barcelona progressed to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey after via behind to beat second-tier area Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Barca manager Ronald Koeman shuffled the pack, with Lionel Messi returning from his suspension to get started on alongside Antoine Griezmann and Trincao upfront, as the likes of Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Jordi Alba were rested on the bench.
Blaugrana were on leading foot in the first exchanges and Frenkie de Jong came the closest to obtaining the opener in the 20th minute with a good chipped effort above goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski that reach the crossbar.
Rique Puig also came very near breaking the deadlock for Koeman's charges with 10 minutes left of the primary stanza after getting a rebound inside the field before his deflected shot hit the woodwork.
Rayo were lucky to nonetheless not be a goal down 3 minutes aftter the break when Messi beautiful free-kick from the advantage of the container cracked the crossbar.
Howevever, the hosts took a shock business lead in the 63rd minute soon after Alvaro Garcia's cross was tipped into the way of Francisco Garcia, who tapped real estate into a clear net at the trunk post.
After De Jong had an objective disallowed for offside for Barca two minutes later, Messi finally levelled concerns in the 69th minute with a close-spectrum tap-in at the back post after he was picked out by Griezmann with a teasing cross.
Blaugrana completed the turnaround in the last 10 minutes after de Jong fired home a close range work from Alba's low cross.
The game was still on the edge in the closing a few minutes, with Barca threatening to kill off the meet but in the finish, they did enough to win 2-1 and booked their spot in the quarter-finals.
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Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za