In a dazzling display of footballing prowess, FC Barcelona followed up with a convincing 5-1 triumph over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey round of 16, after sweeping aside Real Madrid 5-2 in the Super Cup final from Spain, Wednesday evening.
Gavi and Jules Koundé opened the scoring quickly, each finding the net in the first quarter of an hour, while Raphinha, Ferran Torres and rising star Lamine Yamal sealed the match with three more goals in the second half, propelling the Catalan giants in the quarter-finals.
The victory marks FC Barcelona’s fourth consecutive victory in 2025, a perfect follow-up to their recent success against Madrid in Saudi Arabia, where they won the Super Cup title in style.
“Our aim was to capitalize on the momentum of the Super Cup victory for this home match, aimed at our supporters,” said Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí. “We have to keep pushing and maintain this momentum. The Christmas break has rejuvenated us and helped us find our rhythm again.”
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Barcelona’s journey to this victory is all the more impressive considering they had suffered two defeats at the end of 2024. However, they bounced back well, beating Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, as well as Athletic Bilbao and Madrid in Supercup.
The introduction of playmaker Dani Olmo, saved at the last minute after a long and complex dispute between Barcelona, the Spanish La Liga and the Spanish FA over a missed deadline, proved decisive, as he provided an assist to Gavi for the first goal in the third minute at the Montjuic stadium. Yamal’s assist for Koundé in the 27th minute further strengthened the team’s lead.
Although Koundé thought he would score a second goal in added time of the first half, the VAR dashed his hopes by signaling an offside. Yamal suffered a similar fate shortly after the restart when their goal was also ruled out for offside.
Barcelona’s third goal finally arrived through Raphinha, who capitalized on a counter-attack in the 58th minute. Torres, coming on quickly, increased the lead to four goals with a neat finish in the 67th minute, before Yamal completed the scoring with a well-timed run and successful shot in the 75th minute.
Vitor Roque provided a consolation goal for Betis by converting an 84th-minute penalty, but it was far from enough against a rampaging Barcelona side.
The Unstoppable Course of Atletico Madrid
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid continued their remarkable form, outclassing second division side Elche with a clear 4-0 victory, marking an incredible run of 15 consecutive victories.
This new record exceeds their previous best of 13 consecutive victories in all competitions.
Goals from Alexander Sorloth, who scored twice including a penalty, Rodrigo Riquelme from distance, and Julián Álvarez completed a quiet evening for the capital club. Elche, struggling to make weight, found themselves down to ten men in the 50th minute when Nicolás Fernández received a second yellow card.
Other Notable Encounters
In other Copa del Rey encounters, Álvaro Rodríguez secured a narrow 1-0 win for Getafe against fourth division side Pontevedra, scoring a goal in the second minute despite a red card that earned him a being expelled shortly after.
Leganes completed a dramatic 3-2 win over Almeria, with Diego García scoring the decisive goal in the dying minutes. For the next round, reigning champions Athletic Bilbao will host Osasuna, while Real Madrid prepare to face Celta Vigo in the final round of 16 clashes on Thursday evening.
