Barca survive 76 minutes of torment against third-tier minnows
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 17.12.25. | 10:35
Sturdy Guadalajara held off the giants for three quarters of the game, but eventually the Catalans' immense quality prevailed, as Christensen and Rashford brought them a triumph
Copa del Rey - an exciting competition in which minnows have a chance to host some Spanish football giants, and try to bring them to their knees. It rarely happens, but as Andy Dufresne (portrayed by Tim Robbins) says in a renowned movie, The Shawshank Redemption: "Hope is a good thing."
Yet, last night, hope wasn't enough for the third-tier side Guadalajara against the mighty Barcelona. The home crew held off the powerful rivals for 76 minutes, but in the end, the Catalans' immense quality prevailed - 2-0.
🍿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 🍿
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 17, 2025
CD Guadalajara 0️⃣ - 2️⃣ Barça pic.twitter.com/xFpLDvKgpa
Hansi Flick significantly mixed things up regarding the starting XI, leaving key players like Pedri, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde, and Pau Cubarsi on the bench. By the end of the game, the German had to sub on four out of six mentioned stars, and that's the greatest compliment for Guadalajara.
The lineup, featuring an offensive trio of Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, and Fermin Lopez, would be strong enough to strike fear into the bones of much more potent sides. Still, it didn't touch Guadalajara.
On the contrary, they were highly motivated - as was their crowd - and played pretty rough on Yamal, who was rather frustrated.
Aware that things got serious, Flick subbed on Balde, Pedri, Kounde, and Cubarsi, and Barca at last broke the sturdy rivals in the final 14 minutes, when Andreas Christensen scored the opener with a skillful header, while Marcus Rashford confirmed the triumph in the 90th minute after Yamal's assist.
Barcelona's "archenemies", Real Madrid, will play their duel of the Copa del Rey Round of 32 against another third-flight team, Talavera, on the road.
COPA DEL REY - SPANISH CUP
Round of 32
Tuesday
Eibar - Elche 0-1 (0-1)
/Boayar 27/
Deportivo La Coruna - Mallorca 1-0 (0-0)
/Carillo 85/
CD Guadalajara - Barcelona 0-2 (0-0)
/Christensen 76, Rashford 90/
Eldense - Real Sociedad 1-2 (0-0)
/Nacho 81 - Sucic 79, Marin 90+6/
Sporting Gijon - Valencia 0-2 (0-1)
/Beltran 4, Raba 48/
Wednesday
21.00: (3.80) Albacete (3.45) Celta (2.00)
21.00: (2.85) Cultural Leonesa (3.20) Levante (2.60)
21.00: (3.15) Huesca (3.25) Osasuna (2.35)
21.00: (3.90) Santander (3.50) Villarreal (1.95)
23.00: (2.35) Alaves (3.20) Sevilla (3.20)
23.00: (16.0) Talavera (8.00) Real Madrid (1.15)
Thursday
21.00: (3.15) Burgos (3.05) Getafe (2.45)
21.00: (7.50) Ourense CF (4.10) Athletic Bilbao (1.48)
23.00: (10.5) Atletico Baleares (6.50) Atletico Madrid (1.25)
23.00: (7.50) Murcia (4.20) Real Betis (1.47)
***odds are subject to change***
