Barcelona secured their place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals with a controlled but hard-fought 2-0 victory away to Racing Santander on Thursday night, as goals from Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal proved enough to overcome determined second-tier opposition.
The Spanish internationals struck in either half to extend Barca’s winning run to 11 matches across all competitions, though the scoreline only partially reflected the difficulty of the contest against Segunda División leaders Racing, who pushed the holders for long spells.
With Real Madrid having been knocked out by Albacete a day earlier, head coach Hansi Flick opted for a relatively strong starting XI, including teenage star Yamal, signalling Barcelona’s intent to avoid a similar fate.
Following a 15-minute delay caused by supporters being held outside the Sardinero Stadium, Barcelona asserted early control through possession but initially struggled to convert dominance into clear chances. Their best opening of the first half fell to Dani Olmo, who failed to connect cleanly after Marcus Rashford delivered a dangerous cross.
Racing sought to exploit Barcelona’s high defensive line with direct running, but the visitors managed the threat effectively. Giorgi Guliashvili’s low effort from distance, comfortably saved by Joan Garcia, represented the hosts’ clearest opportunity before the break.
Barcelona increased the tempo after half-time, with Rashford twice going close — first forcing a save and then firing narrowly wide — as the pressure gradually mounted.
The breakthrough arrived when Fermin Lopez released Torres in behind the defence. The forward kept his composure, rounding goalkeeper Jokin Ezkieta before slotting home to give Barcelona a deserved lead.
Forced to chase the game, Racing responded aggressively and twice thought they had equalised, only for both of Manex Lozano’s finishes to be ruled out for offside. Barcelona were then indebted to goalkeeper Garcia, who produced an outstanding one-on-one save from Lozano deep into stoppage time to prevent the match from going to extra time.
With Racing fully committed forward, Barcelona sealed the win with the final action of the match, Yamal tapping in at the back post after a low cross from Raphinha.
Elsewhere in the Copa del Rey, Valencia also booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory away to Burgos.
