Unionistas de Salamanca 1-3 FC Barcelona: Balde-Kounde masterclass helps Catalans qualify for next round in Copa del Rey, survives initial scare

FC Barcelona has outclassed third-tier opponents Unionistas 3-1 in the knockout stages of Copa del Rey, after surviving an initial scare when the hosts scored the opener, triggering an upset among the ranks of the Spanish champions. Ferran Torres equalized in the first half, followed by two world-class bangers from Joules Kounde and Alejandro Balde sealed the deal for Xavi’s men, as they qualify into the quarter finals of the coveted tournament.

Barcelona ousts Unionistas

Barcelona, although being the champions of Spanish football, have been cynical this season, with several last-minute victories coming to their rescue. In a season which has been a bit topsy-turvy till date, a win against third-tier club Unionistas de Salamanca was necessary to boost their morale and rekindle their fighting spirit after a 1-4 thrashing in the hands of arch rivals Real Madrid in the finals of Spanish Super Cup last night. Barca were coming on the back of a last-gasp 3-2 win against fourth-tier UD Barbastro in the previous round of Copa del Rey, when a late Robert Lewandowski penalty sealed the deal for the Spanish champions, whereas, on the other hand, Salamanca were on a giant-killing spree in their last game, defeating top flight side Villareal on penalties, and facing a stern test in the form of Barcelona.

Xavi had wringed in some changes from his last game against Real Madrid, as La Masia starlet Marc Guiu started on the central attack, who was flanked by Ferran Torres and Joao Felix. The midfield composed of the second string troika of Romeu, Fermin and the veteran Frenkie De Jong, who set a milestone for featuring in his 200th game for the Catalans. Defensive duties rested upon the faithful of Sergi Roberto, Kounde, Christensen and Balde, as Araujo was suspended, with Inaki Pena between the sticks.

For Unionistas, it was a two-throng attack, with Rastrojo and Losada spearheading the troops, followed by a quartet of midfield and defense, which was aimed at thwarting the attack posed by the Spanish giants.

A Stunning Alvaro Gomez strike to start proceedings

With a typical Barca’s play of short passes and dominant possession, it was Unionistas who had started with a bang, after a Rastrojo-Losada combination almost had Pena on his feet, but their shot went agonizingly wide, thus hosts losing an opportunity to provide an early shock. But they did prevail, with a stunner from Alvaro Gomez leaving the visitors shell-shocked with the clock striking thirty minutes.

It was attacking midfielder Serrano who was instrumental in leading the ball towards the attack, who fired a high, hanging cross, which eventually missed the attackers. But, Alvaro, who was deft in running for the ball, went their last to struck the ball with a sweet volley, which had given Pena little chance to even give a hand to it, thus Unionistas leading ahead, aiming for another huge upset.

But, as in the trait of FC Barcelona of never giving up surfaced, it was Ferran Torres who fired the equalizer just minutes before half-time. It all started with a counter from the hosts’, which was cleared by Pena, followed by a heading clearance from Romeu, with Felix finding a sweet pass to fellow attacker Torres, who drew Unionistas keeper Martinez to his side, before slotting past him to the bottom-left corner, in an uber-cool fashion, thus bringing Barcelona on level terms, and something to fight for in the second half.

An intense second-half, with defensive duo sealing the deal

With the score tied at 1-1, Xavi made some changes to the side, preferably switching to more fast-paced intent for the next 45 minutes, which brough debutant Pau Cubarsi onto the field, as the La Masia gem made his debut in the side, when he subbed on Christensen. The score remained 1-1 till the 67th minute, when Joules Kounde decided to go all by himself in taking the lead.

Gundogan and Lewandowski were introduced to the game, as they brought forward more forwards to see the game out. Cubarsi and Kounde played a lovely passing game, with the debutant assisting the ball towards the Frenchman, who deftly punches the ball with all his force, which swerved in air before dropping to find the bottom right corner, thus gaining the advantage with nearly twenty minutes left to play. From this juncture, it was hard to see the mighty Catalans surrendering their lead as they had regained their zest after the lead.

Balde finishes things off in style

With a 2-1 lead with a little more than 15 minutes left on the clock, it was another defender from La Masia who made an awesome run into the box to seal the deal for the heavyweight visitors. Alejandro Balde, who had made his name into the starting eleven since last season, had been more intent with his attacking finesse this season, and last night, he showed a glimpse of his goal scoring prowess.

It was a solo goal from the youngster, as Balde made things look easy with the ball, when he was assisted by fellow defender Kounde. The Spaniard jetted off with the ball from near the midfield, as he cut back Gomez, surging into the box, thus flashing the ball into the top right corner from a tight angle, thus showcasing his attacking prowess which all-but sealed the deal for the Catalans.

With eight minutes of regulation time remaining on the clock, Barca’s latest recruit from Brazil, Vitor Roque made his debut when Ferran was subbed off, in an attempt to get more goals, but the game was over with the final whistle, as Barcelona well in position to lift their 32nd Copa del Rey title, as defending champions Real Madrid were blown away by their crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid, in another game, thus easing their way.