- Barcelona defeated Espanyol 2-0 at the Camp Nou to progress to the next semi final of the Copa del ray
- First half goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez was enough to give Barcelona a comfortable win
- The first leg played at the RCDE Stadium ended 1-0 in favour of Espanyol, making the aggregate score 2-1
Barcelona defeated city rivals Espanyol 2-0 to progress to the semi finals of the Copa del rey after a surprise 1-0 defeat in the first leg. The victory means Barca qualified 2-1 on aggregate.
Coming into the game on a one goal deficit Ernesto Valverde had in mind that early goals will bring the much desired confidence to his side and it was Uruguay striker Luis Suarez that got the opener just nine minutes into kickoff as he leaped to connect with a delightful cross and places his sweet header inside the left post, leaving the goalkeeper had no chance to make a save.
Barcelona sent Espanyol parking with 2-0 defeat at the Camp Nou (photo: Barcelona Twitter)
Barcelona doubled their lead in 25th minutes as Lionel Messi picked the ball up in space and from the edge of the box lashed in a shot that is deflected past the helpless Pau Lopez to make it 2-0 in favour of Barcelona.
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And at the end of the first 45 minutes the scoreline is Barcelona 2-0 Espanyol.
The home fans gave a standing ovation to debutant Countinho as he made in debut replacing Iniesta in the 63rd minute.
Phillipe Coutinho made his much awaited debut for Barcelona (photo: Barcelona Twitter)
Though both Messi and Suarez came really close in adding to their tally in the second half the visitors held strong to ensure that the scoreline does not go into an embarrassing outcome.
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The victory means that the Catalan giants have now qualified for the semi finals of the Spanish Copa del rey competition.
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Source: Sports.naija.ng