January 06, (THEWILL) – Barcelona avoided a fright in the Copa del Rey, as the defending champions needed to come from behind to defeat Linares Deportivo 2-1.
Hugo Diaz’s header had given the resilient third-tier club a surprising first-half lead at Linarejos but after the break, the quality gap became apparent, as Xavi’s team turned the game around with two goals in the space of five minutes.
Ousmane Dembele levelled with a long-range attempt that eluded Brimah Razak, but Ferran Jutgla’s superb individual goal qualified the visitors for the round of 16.
As THEWILL reported, Dani Alves was formally registered by the Catalan club and was given his second Barcelona debut in the Cup fixture.
The 38-year-old was quickly embroiled, with Ronald Araujo heading his fifth-minute corner narrowly wide, and Ilias Chakkour’s throughball to Nicolas Gonzalez also going wide.
Yet, their early pressure aside, Barca went behind in the 19th minute as Fran Carnicer’s stunning long ball was knocked in by Diaz from a good position.
Despite having over 80% control in the first half, the visitors only managed one shot on goal out of eight efforts, thanks to Gonzalez’s daring long-range drive, which Razak blocked.
Nonetheless, Dembele’s long-range effort found its way past the Linares goalie in the 63rd minute, bringing them level on scores.
Jutgla completed the turnaround after a jinking run from the left flank after Lolo Guerrero’s header was ruled out for offside at the opposite end.
After a solo charge of his own, Dembele rocked the crossbar, but the one-goal margin was enough to keep Barca on track for their sixth Copa del Rey title in eight years.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
