FC Barcelona narrowly beat Racing Santander 2-0 to advance into the Copa del Rey quarterfinals after a tense and hard-fought battle.
The Catalans controlled the ball for long periods but were met with fierce resistance from a compact and determined second-division side.
The breakthrough came courtesy of Ferran Torres, who capitalized on a precise through ball (with Fermín López heavily involved in the build-up), outpaced the defense, and coolly finished past the goalkeeper.
Racing posed occasional danger on the counter and from set pieces, requiring important interventions from Joan García, but failed to equalize.
The narrow triumph keeps Barcelona’s impressive run going after their recent Super Cup success, propelling them into the quarterfinals in a classic, hard-earned cup encounter.
Here are the 5 things we learned:
1. Poor attacking display against a low block is a recurring issue
Despite heavy possession, around 82% in the first half and circulating the ball endlessly, Barcelona created almost nothing clear-cut — low xG (just ~0.26 at halftime), few big chances, and sterile play with Ferran Torres up top and rotated attackers failing to unlock the compact defense.
It exposed how predictable and toothless the attack can look when opponents sit deep and refuse to engage high up.
2. Too much sterile possession doesn’t win knockout games
The Blaugrana racked up absurd passing numbers (87% accuracy, hundreds of touches), but it was sideways and backward more often than not.
Without enough penetration, verticality, or risk-taking in the final third, all that control turned into a false sense of security — a reminder that tiki-taka 2.0 under Flick needs sharper, quicker final actions to avoid getting stuck against motivated underdogs.
3. Vulnerable to counters despite the ball dominance
Racing threatened on the few occasions they won it back, forcing Barça into a higher line that left spaces — shots on target were close (2-1 at HT), and the hosts had real moments from transitions and set pieces.
It highlighted defensive fragility on the break, especially with rotations (missing key midfield rhythm like De Jong) and a backline that can get stretched when pushing everyone forward.
4. Over-reliance on youth/rotation can blunt the edge in tough away ties
With heavy changes post-Super Cup (resting stars like Raphinha/Lewandowski initially, starting fringe players like Casado/Bernal), the team lacked the killer instinct and experience to force the issue early.
Young talents shone in moments (Yamal dangerous), but the overall intensity dipped — proving squad depth is great for the long haul, but knockout football demands your best XI when the tie is on the line.
5. Cup football demands mentality over talent alone
Racing’s high motivation, home crowd roar, and disciplined setup turned this into a proper “banana skin” — holding firm despite the gulf in quality.
Barça’s recent winning streak (10+ games) made complacency a risk; this served as a wake-up call that no lead is safe, no opponent is too small, and knockout ties are won with grit, not just pretty possession.
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