New Delhi: Barcelona kicked off their Copa del Rey campaign on a winning note as they beat fourth-tier Barbastro 4-0 on Saturday to progress into the round of 16, with Robert Lewandowski striking twice. Manager Hansi Flick named a strong team for the trip in order to bounce back from successive La Liga defeats and start the new year on a winning note.
Former Manchester City defender Eric Garcia put the Catalans in front as he sent a bullet header into the nets in the 21st minute, which, 10 minutes late, led to Lewandowski nodding home a 2-0 lead. The Poland striker didn’t stop there; he then added a third goal within two minutes, heading into the second half of the game, latching on to a deft pass from Pablo Toree and netting the ball into the corner to take his tally for the season to 25 goals across all competitions.
Robert Lewandowski’s first goal of 2025! 💥 pic.twitter.com/20ky7lfdvZ
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 4, 2025
After laying on two assists, Torre took centre stage, capitalised on goalkeeper Arnau Fabreg’s mistake, and made it 4-0. With the spot fixed in the next round, Hansi Flick handed 16-year-old Toni Fernandez his senior debut in the 81st minute and even Barcelona’s emergency signing Wojciech Szczesny also got his debut in goal for the club. Former Poland keeper replaced injured Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in October after returning from retirement to join the club but had to wait to make his debut as Inaki Pena was starting off in the goal post.
Pablo Torre this season:
▪️5 Starts
▪️7 G/A
A goal & 2 assists for the StarBoy tonight 🇪🇸🌟
pic.twitter.com/e9xx0ZfKLl
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) January 4, 2025
In the post-match conference, Flick said, “We had to start the year like this. We were very good in defence. We didn’t give our rivals any chance.” The win also marked his 100th victory of his managerial career. Barcelona have won Copa del Rey for a record 31 times but have not lifted the trophy since 2020-21 and will look to change the same under Flick.
What next?
Barcelona will next be seen in action against Athletic Bilbao in a Spanish Super Cup semifinal on Wednesday and will face Getafe on Sunday in La Liga fixture.
Barcelona thrash Barbastro 4-0 in Copa del Rey as Lewandowski scores twice; Flick earns 100th win. Next: Spanish Super Cup semifinal vs Bilbao. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
