Barcelona 2 Espanyol zero (2-1 agg): Messi turns tie around as Coutinho debuts

Lionel Messi impressed Barcelona to a 2-zero victory over Espanyol, sealing a 2-1 combination success and a intention within the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey as Philippe Coutinho made his debut off the bench.

Barca trailed 1-zero from the opening leg after Oscar Melendo’s tiring construct, however there modified into miniature hazard of Ernesto Valverde’s males following Trusty Madrid in crashing out of the match.

Almost 80,000 followers at Camp Nou waved goodbye to Javier Mascherano pre-match, and Barca made an major birth within the Catalan derby – Luis Suarez impulsively erasing the first-leg deficit with a header from a gorgeous fair correct-creep Aleix Vidal rotten.

Espanyol wasted possibilities to reclaim the initiative and Messi came up with the important thing design, even supposing his shot wished a suggested Naldo to wrongfoot goalkeeper Pau Lopez, sooner than Coutinho modified into launched by Ernesto Valverde for a shiny 22-minute cameo.

Messi hit the put up tiring on, however Barca – winners of the Copa del Rey in every of the rest three seasons – stay in with a probability of matching the four straight titles received by Athletic Bilbao within the 1930s.

With every Trusty and Atletico Madrid having gone out within the quarter-finals, Barca will now compete with Sevilla, Valencia and Leganes for a intention within the Copa del Rey showpiece. The draw for the semi-finals will be made on Friday.

Ahead of kick off at Camp Nou @Mascherano acknowledged farewell to the followers #ThankYouMasche pic.twitter.com/K8Uka7XeBb

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 25, 2018

Barca wished most attention-grabbing eight minutes to assemble level on combination, shock starter Vidal despatched certain by Messi to present a most attention-grabbing rotten for Suarez to slouch dwelling at the back put up, the striker’s eighth design in his remaining six appearances towards Espanyol.

However Espanyol straight away fired a warning shot of their comprise, Gerard Moreno shooting straight at Jasper Cillessen after being picked out by Sergi Darder.

The guests endured to threaten and Esteban Granero must savor hit the target from a Victor Sanchez rotten, the faded Trusty Madrid man sending his first-time shot broad.

Barcelona punished that error by taking the lead within the tie after 25 minutes, scoring their 4,000th design in legit competitions at Camp Nou.

Leo Messi’s design modified into quantity 4,000 for Barça at Camp Nou in legit rivals #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/z3wGBqxkxI

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 25, 2018

Persistence from Vidal received the ball on the fringe of the Espanyol field, with Messi riding into apartment and hitting a company 20-yard strike that beat Lopez with the befriend of a deflection off Naldo.

Messi missed a probability to place the tie beyond Espanyol merely sooner than the shatter, brushing the aspect netting after Andres Iniesta despatched Jordi Alba certain down the left to elevate a low rotten.

Lopez denied Messi a 2nd with a gorgeous keep after 55 minutes sooner than file signing Coutinho – wearing Mascherano’s old quantity 14 shirt – modified into launched for his Barca bow.

It be @Phil_Coutinho time!  pic.twitter.com/3sXqyGJNM7

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 25, 2018

With Quique Sanchez Flores’ males committing extra males in attack, Barca savor been an increasing selection of unsafe on the shatter and Lopez needed to invent a amazing double keep from Suarez and Ivan Rakitic after Messi had performed Coutinho into apartment on the left.

Espanyol savor been most attention-grabbing ever a design away from sleek Camp Nou however Moreno’s hopeful penalty attraction after a tangle with Alba on the fringe of the sphere modified into the closest they came as Coutinho’s debut – towards the membership he represented on mortgage in 2012 – ended in a Copa derby victory, with Messi thumping a header towards the put up with two minutes left, denying him a deserved remaining note.