Albacete’s impressive Copa del Rey run came to an end on Wednesday night as Barcelona secured a 2-1 win at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte to book their place in the semi-finals.
The hosts, who had already eliminated both Real Madrid and several top-flight sides earlier in the competition, approached the quarter-final with their usual discipline and patience, while Barcelona dominated possession without finding much space in the opening stages.
Albacete sat deep in a compact shape, limiting central access and forcing Barcelona to circulate the ball in wide areas. Despite controlling more than 70 percent of possession in the first half, the visitors struggled to convert that control into clear chances.
Barcelona’s first meaningful openings came through Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal, though both found opportunities limited by Albacete’s defensive organisation.
Rashford dragged a clear chance wide after being slipped in by Dani Olmo, while Robert Lewandowski remained largely uninvolved, registering very few touches before the break.
Albacete, meanwhile, threatened sporadically on the counter, with Puertas testing Joan Garcia and forcing Ronald Araujo into a key recovery run.
The deadlock was broken in the 39th minute through a moment of quality from Yamal. Barcelona won possession high up the pitch, and Frenkie de Jong’s pass found the winger on the right edge of the box. Yamal took the shot first time, bending a left-footed effort into the far corner beyond Raul Lizoain.
Albacete showed more intent after the interval, committing additional numbers forward and increasing the tempo of their press.
Their best spell early in the second half included a blocked effort from Puertas and a series of long throws that unsettled Barcelona’s back line, though clear chances remained limited.
Barcelona restored control in the 56th minute with a second goal that appeared to settle the tie. Rashford delivered a corner from the left, and Araujo rose unchallenged to power a header past Lizoain from close range.
With a two-goal cushion, Barcelona focused on game management, slowing the tempo and keeping possession.
They came close to extending the lead on several occasions, with Ferran Torres denied by Lizoain and Vallejo producing a crucial block to deny another effort. Torres thought he had added a third in the 90th minute, reacting quickest to a low cross, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside.
That decision kept Albacete in the contest, and they took full advantage two minutes earlier when they pulled a goal back.
Jose Carlos Lazo delivered a precise free-kick into the box, and centre-back Javi Moreno met it with a firm header into the corner to make it 2-1. The goal lifted the home crowd and injected urgency into the final minutes.
Albacete nearly produced an extraordinary equaliser in stoppage time. Fran Gamez controlled the ball at the back post and lifted an effort over Joan Garcia, but Martin tracked back and diverted the ball wide with a headed clearance off the line. It proved to be the final major moment of the match.
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