Ceuta 0-5 Barcelona: Hosts ease into Copa del Rey quarter-finals
Ceuta 0-5 Barcelona: Visitors follow Spanish Super Cup success with rout of third-tier minnows to book place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals… with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice and Raphinha also on target
- Xavi Hernandez made 10 changes to the team that beat Real Madrid on Sunday
- Robert Lewandowski scored a brace as Barcelona thrashed third-tier Ceuta
- Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Franck Kessie were also on target on Thursday night
Robert Lewandowski scored a brace and led a second-string Barcelona side to a 5-0 win at third-tier Ceuta in the Copa del Rey last 16 on Thursday.
Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Franck Kessie were also on target against a hapless Ceuta.
Barca manager Xavi Hernandez made 10 changes to the team that won 3-1 the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid on Sunday, resting all his key players with the exception of Lewandowski.
Raphinha opened the scoring with a low left-footed shot from outside the box in 41st minute
The visitors were dominant in every aspect of the game and took the lead in the 40th minute when Raphinha curled in a shot from the edge of the area.
Lewandowski extended Barca’s lead five minutes after the interval when Kessie stole the ball from a Ceuta defender and passed it to the Polish striker for an easy tap in.
Substitute Fati made it 3-0 in the 70th minute by dribbling past a defender before slotting a right-footed strike into the far post.
Robert Lewandowski doubled their advantage from inside the box in the 50th minute
Kessie netted the fourth with a towering header from a Raphinha cross in the 77th minute and Lewandowski finished a counter-attack with a gentle touch to the goalkeeper’s left in the 90th minute.
Barca joined Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna, Real Sociedad and Sevilla in the quarter-finals.
Real Madrid face Villarreal later on Thursday to round off the last 16.
Ansu Fati netted the third goal for Barcelona from a breakaway in the 70th minute
‘These matches can be difficult if you don’t play at 100%, so we had to take it very seriously,’ Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto said.
‘After the second goal things got a bit easier. We are happy to be through to the next round.’
Barcelona didn’t make it past the round of 16 of the Copa last season, being eliminated by Athletic Bilbao.
It had won five Copa trophies in seven seasons before that.
Midfielder Franck Kessie made it 4-0 with a close-range header in the 77th minute
Ceuta had advanced past first-division club Elche in the round of 32.
Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna have also advanced to the quarter-finals.
The draw for the last-eight matchups will be on Friday.
Defending champion Real Betis was eliminated by Osasuna in a penalty shootout on Wednesday.
Barca striker Lewandowski sealed the rout with his second goal in the 90th minute
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