Barcelona Fly into the Semifinals

Xavi Hernandez and Co have successfully sealed their tickets to the Semi Finals of Copa del Rey beating Real Sociedad 1-0 at the Camp Nou. 

Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal of the fixture 8 minutes short of the hour mark against a 10-men La Real, as Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez was shown a straight red at the 40th minute.

18 year old Pablo Gavi in action

Played in behind by a through ball from Kounde, Dembele took the Basque keeper by surprise by shooting at the near post instead of sending in a cross. The Frenchman had been the highlight for the Catalans with his dazzling display down the flank and was deservedly greeted with a standing ovation as he came off for Ansu Fati. 

Dembele scored the decisive goal of the tie

Marc Andre Ter Stegen continues his spectacular display of form as he denied two dangerous shots in the last few minutes of the game to keep Sociedad from equalizing. 

Ter Stegen has now saved a fantastic 18 shots out of the total 21 he has faced across all competition since the start of 2023. His crucial match deciding saves have been utterly fruitful for the Catalans as they now sit top of the table at La Liga, with one Trophy up the Cabinet and one more semifinal ticket secured.

This loss, however, draws an end to the nine-match winning streak for the Basques as they now return to face Real Madrid in their next League fixture. 

Now as Barcelona stand two wins away from a possible second trophy of the season, it remains to be seen if destiny entails yet another fixture with Real Madrid - at the Copa del Rey this time - and if so, will Barcelona repeat what they aced at the Supercopa de Espana finale to lift another Title.

Until then, Viva Barca.

Editor's Desk  | A.Ash ✎