Barcelona 5-0 Celta Vigo (6-1): Valverde's men cruise into last eight of Copa del Rey
Jordi Alba & Messi put on a show in the first half
Barça were 4-0 ahead by the 30th minute at Camp Nou
Barcelona put on a show on Thursday as they hammered Celta Vigo 5-0 to advance to the quarter final of the Copa del Rey 6-1 on aggregate.
FC Barcelona
5 ________________ 0
RC Celta
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FC Barcelona
Cillessen, Semedo, Piqué (Vermaelen, min. 45), Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Iniesta (c) (Arnaiz, min. 62), Rakitic, André Gomes, Messi (Dembélé, min. 57) y Suárez.
RC Celta
Sergio, Hugo Mallo (c), Sergi Gómez, Fontàs, Jonny, Lobotka, Jozabed, Emre Mor, Wass (Radoja, min. 45), Pione Sisto (Brais, min. 56) y Aspas (Maxi Gómez, min. 45).
Goles
1-0, min. 12: Messi, a pase de Alba. 2-0, min. 15: Messi, tras una combinación con Alba. 3-0, min. 28: Alba aprovecha un pase de larga distancia de Messi. 4-0, min. 30: Suárez, tras un pase erróneo de Pione Sisto. 5-0, min. 86: Rakitic, de cabeza tras un córner botado por Dembélé.
Árbitro
Hernández Hernández (Las Palmas). Sin amonestados.
Incidencias
Partido de vuelta de los octavos de final de la Copa del Rey disputado en el Camp Nou ante 59.009 espectadores.
Lionel Messi scored the first two, both set up by Jordi Alba, before returning the favour for the left-back to score the third.
Luis Suarez added the fourth before half time, taking advantage of a Pione Sisto error to hammer beyond Sergio Alvarez.
The final goal came late in the game when Ivan Rakitic headed in Ousmane Dembele’s corner.
Ernesto Valverde’s side are now 28 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Barça will find out their opponents in the last eight when the draw is made on Friday, with Real Madrid, Atletico, Valencia and Espanyol also in the hat for the next round.
Ernesto Valverde said before the match that winning the Copa del Rey was “important” for him because he’d never won it before, having lost in the final to Barça as Athletic Club coach.
That showed in his team lineup: Messi, Suarez and Iniesta all started having been left out for the first leg last week in Vigo.
It quickly paid dividends. With a bit more pace, Messi could have had the hosts 2-0 up inside five minutes.
Within 15 minutes he did. His first goal came when he smashed home a cross from Alba from 12 yards, although Sergio got a hand to it and should have done better in the Celta goal.
That was the 13th minute and by the 15th minute it was two. Messi fed Alba, then raced into the area, where he slotted home Alba’s pull back. It’s become a classic combination for Barca.
Messi then created the third for Alba with a fine through ball before Suarez blasted home from eight yards after half an hour.
Valverde took of Messi, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique early in the second half, replacing them with Dembele, Jose Arnaiz and Thomas Vermaelen.
Barça still had chances to extend their lead, though, with Suarez having a penalty appeal turned down and then coming close with a clever effort from 40 yards.
Dembele excited with his pace and set up the fifth goal, with Rakitic heading in from the French international’s corner.
