Barcelona made a splendid comeback to beat Granada with a scoreline of 5-3 in the extra-time in an action-packed Copa del Rey quarterfinal on Wednesday at Granada’s home ground FC, the Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes.
Despite FC Barcelona dominating the first half, Granada scored in the 33rd minute when a Samuel Umtiti gave space to Granada in the Barca box to led the opposition a cross and an easy one-tap finish for Kenedy. The home side again doubled their score with an advantage just after the start of the second half when the veteran forward Roberto Soldado made a run from behind the Barca defense and confidently beating Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Ronald Koeman later on substituted on Sergio Dest, Ousmane Dembele, and Martin Braithwaite in the hope of getting a better result.
Antoine Griezmann turned out to be the saviour and helped the team pull back a goal two minutes from time when Messi pass hit the post and then Granada goalkeeper Aaron Escandell before he crossed the line. A 92nd-minute header from Jordi Alba pulled the match into extra-time. Griezmann again helped Barca and put in front early in the additional 30 minutes, but Granada levelled it again just before the break as Fede Vico scored a penalty after Sergio Dest fouled Carlos Neva inside the box.
However, Barca again, with Frenkie de Jong’s goal, restored their lead, along with Alba adding his second goal of the match with a stunning volley to ensure Barca’s entry into the semis.
De Jong and Pedri showed incredible performance in the game with their intelligence of moments to attack and when to defend when they were taking risks to get back into the game.
Alba and Griezmann turned out to be heroes for the night with their excellent performance ensuring Barca’s entry into the semi-finals of the Copa Del Ray, along with Messi’s amazing judgment of when to pass. Dembele also delivered some dangerous crosses and caused problems with his pace to the opposition. Braithwaite’s presence in the box was of great importance. However, a bit more was expected from Ter Stegen. But the most important aspect is that the team has reached the semis after a thrilling quarter-final.
