Barcelona did what Real Madrid could not, defeating Albacete in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Wednesday night thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal and a returning Ronald Araújo.
The victory keeps Barça’s domestic title defence alive and books their place in the semi-finals, with the remaining quarter-final ties set to be played tonight and tomorrow. However, Barcelona could have not been in the hat for the next round had Albacete capitalised on a costly mistake by the Barcelona goalkeeper late in the first half.
With the game at 1-0 to the Spanish champions and stoppage time approaching, Joan Garcia gifted Albacete a corner in one of the most surreal moments of the match. In an attempt to congratulate Ronald Araujo for some defensive play, the ‘keeper with ball in hand went straight to congratulate him without realizing that the ball was in play and that his teammate was off the field.
Joan García crossed the byline to congratulate Araujo, who was lying on the ground. The crowd at the Carlos Belmonte stadium quickly realized what was happening and alerted referee Martínez Munuera, who immediately awarded a corner kick.
He could hardly believe it, and Hansi Flick even less so, the Barcelona coach furious at the prospect of giving Albacete another chance and watching his planned half-time team talk unravel. Any set piece threatened to become a dangerous moment for the hosts as they pushed for a second high-profile giant-killing in this season’s tournament, particularly given their strength from dead-ball situations.
In the end, it amounted to little more than a scare, and a story to laugh about, as Albacete failed to capitalise on the error, leaving Joan García with nothing to regret. Their late consolation goal would otherwise have served as a dramatic equaliser, forcing extra time and potentially sending Barcelona crashing out.
García can be forgiven, especially given how consistent and impressive he has been since arriving from city rivals Espanyol in the summer. His crucial saves have often turned draws or narrow defeats into victories, underlining just how much Barcelona have missed him whenever he has been absent.
We can forgive and forget for this mistake that went unpunished.