Barcelona beat Albacete 2–1 to reach Copa del Rey semi-finals

KATHMANDU: Barcelona booked their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals with a 2–1 victory over second-division side Albacete, thanks to goals from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and defender Ronald Araújo.

Yamal opened the scoring in the 39th minute, netting his first goal of the competition this season.

The 18-year-old capitalised on sustained pressure inside the Albacete box and curled in a fine finish to give Barça a deserved lead.

Eleven minutes into the second half, Ronald Araújo doubled Barcelona’s advantage, heading home from a corner delivered by Marcus Rashford.

Albacete pulled one back late in the game through Javi Moreno, who scored with a header in the 87th minute, but it proved too little, too late.

With the win, Albacete’s impressive Copa del Rey journey came to an end.

The second-tier side had caused a major upset in the previous round by eliminating Real Madrid with a dramatic late goal.

Facing each other for the first time since 2005, Barcelona dominated from the opening whistle.

Rashford came close as early as the eighth minute after a pass from Dani Olmo, but his effort failed to find the net.

La Liga leaders Barcelona maintained control throughout the match.

Yamal’s goal also marked his 14th of the season across all competitions, underlining his growing influence in the squad.

Early in the second half, Albacete goalkeeper Dani Bernabéu produced a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Olmo after a blistering solo run and cut-back from Rashford.

Moments later, however, Rashford turned provider again as his corner set up Araújo’s decisive goal.

Albacete made the closing stages tense with Moreno’s late header, while an injury-time goal by Ferran Torres was ruled out for offside.

Barcelona now move one step closer to Copa del Rey glory, continuing their strong form both domestically and in cup competition.