HIGHLIGHTS | Barcelona and Valencia complete the quarter-final line-up

By Wednesday evening, six teams had already sealed their places in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE and were awaiting the final two qualifiers ahead of the draw scheduled for next Monday, 19 January, at the Ciudad del Fútbol.

Eight-time winners Valencia CF travelled to the always demanding Estadio Municipal El Plantío, which hosted a Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie for the first time in 34 years. Carlos Corberán’s side withstood home advantage and the strong early pressure from Burgos CF, coached by Luis Miguel Ramis. In the 10th minute, Rubén Iranzo headed home a corner delivered by André Almeida to open the scoring. After the break, Umar Sadiq netted his first goal since returning to the Mestalla club, showcasing his power after latching onto a through ball from Ramazani. In the 73rd minute, Kévin Appin came close to pulling one back for the hosts, but his right-footed strike crashed against the post of Dimitrievski’s goal. The scoreline remained unchanged, sending Valencia CF through to the quarter-finals for the seventh time in the last decade.

Just over 120 kilometres away, at the Campos de Sport de El Sardinero, Real Racing Club welcomed the defending champions. FC Barcelona returned to Santander for the first time in 14 years, since 2012, when a Lionel Messi brace decided the tie in favour of the Catalans. The opening half was fiercely contested, with Guliashvili and Arana registering the clearest chances for the hosts, while Dani Olmo and Bernal went close for Barcelona. After the interval, Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal both tested former Barça goalkeeper Jokin Ezkieta, without success. In the 66th minute, a perfectly weighted through ball from Fermín López sent Ferran Torres through one-on-one with Ezkieta. The forward rounded the keeper and slotted home to give Barcelona the lead. Racing threw bodies forward in search of an equaliser, which appeared to arrive twice through Manex Lozano, but both goals were ruled out for offside. Deep into stoppage time, Raphinha squared the ball for Lamine Yamal to make it 0–2 and seal Barcelona’s place in the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive season.

As a result, Valencia CF and FC Barcelona complete a quarter-final line-up made up of the following clubs: Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Deportivo Alavés, Albacete Balompié — the only Segunda División side still in the competition — Valencia CF and FC Barcelona.

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