‘I’m proud of the team‘ — Hansi Flick reacts after Barcelona beat Albacete 2-1 in Copa del Rey quarterfinal | OneFootball

FC Barcelona secured a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals after beating Albacete in the quarter-finals last night with a 1-2 scoreline. Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo scored the two goals for the Blaugrana side.

Despite playing against a second-division side, the Catalans were able to get a win by only the barest of margins, and the last phases of the game were even more tense as the hosts got a goal.

Still, as Mundo Deportivo has reported, Hansi Flick expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance as he addressed a press conference after the game.

The German coach expressed his happiness at making it to the semi-finals of the competition:

“These are the games we have to win. We’re in the semifinals, and we’re happy.”

The Barcelona coach particularly emphasized his team’s ability to continue performing despite the busy schedule:

“It was a difficult match; we had many chances. I’m proud of the team because we play every three days. The team is always ready and always prepared. We deserved the win.”

Hansi Flick also highlighted the team’s fighting spirit:

“We have to improve our finishing, but we can’t talk about mentality. If you look at how we played on Wednesday, Saturday, and today, Tuesday, the team is fighting until the end. These Cup games have to be won, and that’s what we did.”

The German coach once again highlighted the busy schedule:

“We played on Wednesday, we played on Saturday, and today is Tuesday: three games in less than a week. That’s what I mean when I say the team is always present. We dominated the first half and also the second, although at the end, defending cost us a bit more.”

The Barcelona coach also rued the chances missed by his team:

“Cup matches like tonight’s are always difficult. Albacete are a good team in this Copa del Rey. We created many chances and wasted them, and I think we made it harder for ourselves.”

Ronald Araujo got back into the starting lineup after quite some time, and Hansi Flick talked about his situation:

“We have to take it step by step with Araujo. He will gain more confidence, and the team supports him.”

Regarding Marc Bernal, the German coach said:

“He needs to play a bit quicker, but step by step.”

On the finishing note, the Barcelona coach expressed satisfaction with his team’s standing in the different competitions:

“Copa semifinals, ‘top eight’ in the Champions League, and top of the league. We can say we’re achieving our objectives.”

For now, Barcelona will return to league action, and hopefully, the team will continue performing at this high level as the season gets nearer to its conclusion.