Ferran Torres scored a hat trick, while Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal were also on the scoresheet, as Barcelona recorded a 5-0 victory over Valencia in Thursday’s Copa del Rey quarter-final clash at Mestalla.
Barcelona were four goals ahead at the interval, with Torres netting a first-half treble, while Lopez also registered, with Valencia’s only task from that point forward being to keep the score down.
Yamal registered the only goal of the second half just before the hour, and it proved to be an incredibly comfortable progression into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for Hansi Flick‘s side.
Barcelona are the most successful side in the history of the Copa del Rey, lifting the trophy on 31 occasions, and they have joined Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in the final four of the competition.
SPORTS MOLE’S VERDICT
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Less than two weeks ago, Valencia conceded seven against Barcelona in La Liga, and another five came on Thursday night, with Los Che simply never in the match against their free-scoring opponents.
It was Torres’s night, with the Spaniard moving onto 10 goals for the campaign, and he came back to haunt his former club.
The 24-year-old came through the youth system at Valencia, joining their academy at the age of six before making 97 appearances for the first team, and how Los Che would love to have a player of his quality still in their side.
Barcelona have had their problems this season, but they are now in touching distance of Real Madrid at the top of the The Table Leaguewhile they are through to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and into the knockout round of the Champions League.
It could be an excellent campaign for Flick’s side, with a lot of big football matches to come over the next few weeks, but Valencia are facing one of their worst seasons in history, with relegation to the Segunda Division a serious possibility for his underperforming outfit.
Valencia vs. Barcelona Highlights
3rd Min: Valencia 0-1 Barcelona (Ferran Torres)
Barcelona make the breakthrough in the third minute of the contest, as Torres races onto a pass from Alejandro Balde before finishing into the back of the net – Valencia have been undone in the early exchanges here.
17th min: Valencia 0-2 Barcelona (Ferran Torres)
Barcelona double their advantage in the 17th minute, and it is a second of the match for Torres, who finds the back of the net after Yamal’s effort had come off the post.
23rd min: Valencia 0-3 Barcelona (Fermin Lopez)
Barcelona might have put this game beyond Valencia already, as Lopez collects a brilliant pass from Pedri before lifting the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper and finishing into the back of the net.
30th min: Valencia 0-4 Barcelona (Ferran Torres)
Hat-trick hero! Torres scores his third of the match at Mestalla, placing one into the bottom corner from just outside the penalty box; Valencia’s defending in this opening 30 minutes has been very disappointing.
59th min: Valencia 0-5 Barcelona (Lamine Yamal)
Barcelona have their fifth of the match just before the hour, and it is a horror moment for Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievskiwho allows a strike from Yamal to go through his gloves.
MAN OF THE MATCH – FERRAN TORRES
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Torres is currently finding it difficult to secure regular starts for Barcelona in La Liga due to the presence of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Yamal, but he made a big impression against his former club on Thursday night.
The Spaniard scored an excellent hat trick, while he was a constant threat with his movement and tricky, and this will go down as one of his best performances since making the move to Barcelona in 2022.
Valencia vs. Barcelona Match Stats
Possession: Valencia 23% -77% Barcelona
Shots: Valencia 4-17 Barcelona
Shots on target: Valencia 1-9 Barcelona
Corners: Valencia 3-4 Barcelona
Fouls: Valencia 6-7 Barcelona
BEST STATS
WHAT NEXT?
Both of these sides will now switch their attention back to La Liga, with Barcelona looking to stay in touch with the top two Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid when they head to Sevilla on Sunday night.
Valencia, meanwhile, will be back in league action at home to fellow strugglers Leganes on Saturday afternoon; Los Che are 19th in the The Table Leaguefour points behind 17th-placed Espanyol, while Barcelona are third, four points behind the leaders Real Madrid, who will welcome second-placed Atletico to Bernabeu on Saturday night.
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