Copa del Rey: Barcelona reaches quarter-finals with 2-0 win over Racing Santander

Second-half goals from Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal gave Barcelona a hard-fought 2-0 win over second-tier leaders Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, taking them to the quarter-finals.

In a hard-fought match, the breakthrough came in the 66th minute when Torres timed his run perfectly to avoid the offside trap and collected a through ball before rounding goalkeeper Jokin Ezkieta and finishing into an empty net.

Deep into stoppage time, after Racing’s Manex Lozano missed a sitter from close range, Barcelona did not miss the opportunity to put the game to bed as Yamal finished off a quick counter-attack.

Barcelona join Athletic Bilbao, Alaves, Albacete, Atletico Madrid, Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Valencia in the last eight. The ⁠Spanish FA will carry out the quarter-final draw on Monday, with ties scheduled for February 3-5.

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Determined to avoid a similar fate to Real Madrid, who were stunned by lower league side Albacete on Wednesday, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick fielded a team that was close to full strength at the El Sardinero Stadium.

The visitor dominated possession early on, but found Racing a determined opponent. Dani Olmo missed a golden opportunity, while Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia responded smartly to deny Racing’s Camara Suleiman in a lively opening half.

After Torres scored the opener in the 66th minute, Ezkieta made back-to-back brilliant saves late in the 80th minute, denying Fermin Lopez and substitute Robert Lewandowski from close range in the 80th minute to keep Racing’s hopes alive.

The hosts thought they had equalized twice in the final moments, but both goals were disallowed for offside.

Racing substitute Lozano had a golden opportunity to equalize and sprinted forward after a counter-attack. However, he opted to shoot from close range rather than passing to an unmarked teammate, allowing Garcia to make the save.

Barcelona punished the missed opportunity in the next action. Raphinha’s low cross found Yamal, who sealed the win and Barcelona’s progress to the last eight.

Published on January 16, 2026