Three takeaways from Racing Santander 0-2 Barcelona | OneFootball

Barcelona made it through to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey after securing a hard-fought 2-0 win over Racing Santander away at Estadio El Sardinero.

Having had a slow start to the game, the Catalans only managed to break the deadlock in the second half when Ferran Torres found the back of the net.

The final minutes of Barcelona’s game against Racing Santander turned into a nail-biting affair as the opposition came very close to equalising the Catalans’ one-goal lead.

A mistake from Pau Cubarsi gifted the hosts a 1v1 chance to level the scoring, but Joan Garcia stood firm with yet another stunning save to keep the team’s lead intact.

Within seconds, Barcelona hit out on the counte,r and Lamine Yamal scored the team’s second goal to settle the score.

The game, needless to say, could well have gone to extra time had some details gone differently, but Barcelona will not read too much into the result, considering they got the job done.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Racing Santander 0-2 Barcelona.

Credit to Racing Santander

Barcelona always expected a tough clash against Racing Santander last night, for playing away against the leaders of the lower division is easier said than done. 

What the hosts gave, however, was a fight far more difficult than that which was already expected.

As is usually the case with such games, the opening phase was expectedly hard-fought, with the hosts fighting for every ball with 100%, winning the half-chances and pressing with purpose. 

Barcelona, however, usually see out the period of high intensity and capitalise when the opposition tire. Credit to Racing Santander, however, for they almost maintained their pressure throughout the game and constantly hit out on the counter.

While they did not create too many clear-cut chances, they did have enough opportunities to pull one back at least, and Barcelona have Joan Garcia to thank for not allowing that to happen. His astounding save in the 94th minute, in fact, single-handedly denied extra time.

While Barcelona did dominate, capitalise and win, one must hand the lower division team their flowers for how valiantly they fought. It is not surprising that they are the leaders in their division and they could well be in La Liga next season.

Into the quarterfinals

Place secured in the quarterfinals. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Taking to the field just days after the tiring Spanish Super Cup trip to Saudi Arabia and the high-intensity final against Real Madrid, Barcelona’s primary objective against Racing Santander was simply to progress with minimal effort. After all, the schedule ahead is hectic.

That objective was met, and comfortably so last night. Barcelona are into the quarterfinal of the competition and are thus three ties away from their second title of the season – that too with Real Madrid already out of the race.

Joining the Catalans in the final eight are the likes of Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, Valencia, Real Betis, Alaves and the team who upset Real Madrid – Albacete.

The draw will take place on Monday, and Barcelona will then know who they face in the quarterfinal of the event. Regardless of the opposition, they will back themselves to progress.

Needless to say, the biggest takeaway is that Barcelona’s phase of playing lower division teams away from home in the event is likely closed for this season, and Hansi Flick and Co. will breathe a sigh of relief that it is past them.

Rest for key names

Having witnessed Real Madrid lose to Albacete just 24 hours before kickoff, the world was reminded of why the Copa del Rey’s new format is silently set up to promote upsets – something Flick has spoken openly about since the team’s first game in the competition.

The manager, thus, preferred to take measured risks against Racing Santander and did not go overboard with his rotations despite players being fatigued from the recent trip and Clasico.

Pedri, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski all started on the bench and came on just for the final 25 minutes of the game, each thus earning some much-needed rest at this critical stage of the season.

Eric Garcia, who has barely rested all season, also started on the bench and came only for the final few minutes.

Instead, Flick trusted Marcus Rashford, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo to handle the attacking department, given that all three did not start against Real Madrid.

In attack, Lamine Yamal was the only player who started last night despite starting the Clasico, but that was because he will miss the team’s upcoming UCL fixture through suspension.

In midfield, meanwhile, the manager handed starts to Marc Bernal and Marc Casado, both of whom did decently. While the former showed more signs of promise, hinting at a complete recovery, the latter was decent but left fans demanding a little more from him.

All in all, Flick handled the rotations for the game quite well and handed most players deserved breaks. With a hectic schedule ahead, every minute of rest will count for the Barcelona stars.