Barcelona Survive Albacete Scare to Reach Copa Semis

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Barcelona Survive Albacete Scare to Reach Copa Semis

The Carlos Belmonte stadium has become something of a giant-killer's lair recently, with both Real Madrid and Celta Vigo falling victim there. Barcelona managed to avoid the same fate in their Copa del Rey tie against Albacete, but only just. The 2-1 victory secured their place in the semi-finals, though the scoreline doesn't tell the full story of a nervy evening.

For most of the match, Barcelona were firmly in control. Lamine Yamal gave them an early lead, and Ronald Araujo added a second from a set-piece after half-time. The Catalans dominated possession and created eight clear-cut chances throughout the game. The problem, as has become frustratingly familiar, was finishing them off. Robert Lewandowski, Marcus Rashford, and substitute Ferran Torres all squandered golden opportunities. It was reminiscent of their recent match against Elche, where they missed ten out of thirteen big chances. This wastefulness kept Albacete's hopes alive far longer than they should have been.

The final ten minutes turned into what many described as "ten minutes of hell." After Albacete pulled one back in the 87th minute, what had seemed like a comfortable win suddenly became a desperate scramble. With no extra time at this stage of the competition, one more goal would have sent the tie straight to penalties. Barcelona were only spared by a heroic goal-line clearance from Gerard Martin in stoppage time.

The result is ultimately a positive one for Barcelona – they're through to the semi-finals and still in the hunt to defend their title. But the performance exposed a glaring weakness. In a demanding season, consistently failing to put away chances is a dangerous habit. Barcelona leave Albacete with their trophy hopes intact, but they'll need to be far more clinical if they're to go all the way against tougher opposition ahead.