[Sport]The Barça points to the epic to get into the semifinals

[SougarLord]

 

Barça had to join the epic to get into the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. The Catalans had to row against the tide to come back from a 2-0 lead caused by two fatal errors by Umtiti in the final moments of regulation through Griezmann and Jordi Alba. And, already in extra time, they needed to shoot again with faith after Granada equalized a penalty on the 2-3 also scored by the French so that De Jong, with that arrival that Koeman likes so much, put the 3-4 on the scoreboard. The left-handed side himself, the preferred partner of a Messi deeply involved in the game, shortly after, would definitively seal the pass with 3-5.

 

Koeman took the quarterfinals of the Cup very seriously. To such an extent that he put Neto on the bench and bet on keeping Ter Stegen down. Umtiti, meanwhile, beat Lenglet again. Although it would be precisely two failures of the Frenchman that would unexpectedly complicate the life of the Catalans. The first of them came in the first part. Until well after the first half hour of play, Barça had Granada practically locked in their field. Everything seemed to indicate that the Catalans only needed a bit more of a sharp edge, one of the great gaps this season, to solve the match and the tie.

 

But, just then, the other would make an appearance with the first failure of Umtiti. The Frenchman lost the ball back and Kenedy only had to push it to place an unexpected 1-0 on the scoreboard. A story that has been repeated too many times this year. And more uphill would put everything in the restart with the second blunder of the French. All a veteran like Soldado, starting from his field, was able to win his back after a long move by Montoro, stand alone against Ter Stegen and place the 2-0 on the scoreboard when just two minutes had been played after the restart.

 

THREE STICKS

Both fell like a jug of cold water on a Barça forced, from that moment, to get two goals to, at least, take the duel to extra time. And he got down to it. But, despite everything, he fell again and again in the misalignments in attack that already prevented him from opening his locker in the first half. Sometimes, they crashed the ball into the dense defensive fabric of Granada. Others lacked aim to send the ball between the three sticks. And in others, when they succeeded, the saving hand of Aaron appeared.

 

Up to three balls would also crash in the frame of his goal. The Catalans bottled Granada in their area. So much so that his insistence, in the end, was rewarded.

 

Griezmann, a few minutes from the end of regulation time, and with the involuntary collaboration of the goalkeeper, would open the way for hope. And Jordi Alba, in addition, managed to force the dispute of extra time, even if Luis Suárez had an unbeatable option to finally achieve his dream at the last gasp.

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Nothing that happened was any longer useful. The epic of the comeback, in principle, seemed to work in favor of Barça's interests. Again, the Catalans opted to arm themselves with patience and look for more clear options. Granada, meanwhile, could try to take advantage of the unstitched of a rear designed more to attack than to defend, but with Luis Suárez as an island in the middle of the Pacific. Messi had the first. Aaron, again, frustrated her. Braithwaite, the second. With the same result.

 

The goalkeeper could do nothing, on the other hand, to prevent Griezmann from completing a performance finally more than successful, sending the 2-3 head to the bottom of the goal to center Alba. Dest, immediately afterwards, would commit a penalty on Neva with which Fede Vico returned the equalizer to the light. As soon as the second half of extra time started, a bad clearance by the local goalkeeper to Messi's shot would be taken advantage of by De Jong to make it 3-4. And Jordi Alba, shortly after, would sign the comeback with the final 3-5. A result that charges a Barça with confidence that went from torment to ecstasy in a matter of minutes.