The Catalan giants got the job done.
Barcelona are into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey but were made to work hard for a 2-0 victory in Santander on Thursday night.
Hansi Flick’s side scored twice in the second half to continue the defence of their trophy but also suffered a few scares along the way.
Let’s look at some of the talking points from the game.
Fermin Lopez the key to unlocking Racing
Barcelona found it hard to carve out clear-cut chances against Racing and it took two second-half goals to finally see off the challenge from a spirited home side.
Flick named a strong team for the game, perhaps extra cautious after seeing Real Madrid go out on Wednesday, but saw his team lack for creativity for the opening 60 minutes.
Indeed it took the arrival of Lopez to finally unlock Racing. The substitute sent Torres running through on goal with a great ball that simply needed putting away.
Torres did precisely that to finally break the deadlock and put Barca on track for victory. It was the shark’s goal but make no mistake it was all about Fermin.
Lopez now has nine assists in all competitions so far this season, the same amount as a certain Lamine Yamal.
What should Barcelona do with Bernal?
Marc Bernal was named in the starting XI by Flick for Thursday’s match, a move which seemed designed to send a message to the midfielder.
There’s been talk he could be loaned out in the January transfer window, with Girona thought to be keen, but it’s not yet been determined whether he will stay or go.
Bernal put in a solid showing against Racing but was taken off just after the hour as Flick sent on Lopez. The substitute then only needed a few minutes to set up the opener for Torres and send Barca on their way to victory.
Flick has handed Bernal just 124 minutes of game time in La Liga so far this season, and he knows will have to battle extremely hard if he’s to see significant minutes in the second half of the campaign.
It’s been reported that Barca will discuss Bernal’s future after the Racing game, and the club have a big decision to make regarding where the midfielder will play his football for the rest of the season.
Joan Garcia comes up big yet again
Barcelona’s attacking talent regularly grabs the headlines but it was Joan Garcia who once again came up clutch to deny Racing.
The goalkeeper was needed on several occasions early on to come out and claim the ball but saved his most important contribution until right at the end.
Racing were handed a glorious opportunity to make it 1-1 and send the game into extra-time when Lozano was played through and only had Garcia to beat.
And that was precisely the problem for Lozano. Garcia stood tall once again, blocked the shot, and seconds later it was 2-0 and all over.
“Thank goodness for Joan Garcia,” said a relieved Ferran Torres afterwards, echoing the thoughts of Barcelona fans all over the world.
What a goalkeeper. What a signing.
Category: General Sports
