The first game of the 2026 Copa del Rey quarterfinals was far from thrilling, but it already produced the first team to advance. Barcelona edged host Albacete 2-1 thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo, securing their spot among the tournament’s final four.
A match with few notable moments, where intentions outweighed execution, but Hansi Flick’s side managed to assert its quality, justifying the final result through dominant possession.
Barcelona defeated Albacete 2-1 and made a big statement in the 2026 Copa del Rey.
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With goals from Lamine Yamal in the first half and Ronald Araujo in the second, Barcelona defeated Albacete to reach the 2026 Copa del Rey semifinals. Javi Moreno pulled one back for the home side.
After a precise free kick, Javi Moreno heads in to pull one back for Albacete.
With just a handful of minutes left, the home team can’t gain control of the ball, and Barcelona are steadily closing in on victory.
After a VAR review, Jefte scored a goal that was ruled out for offside.
By controlling possession, Barcelona let the minutes run and look to secure the victory. Kounde replaced Araujo.
The home side relies on counterattacks, with Jefte as their main threat.
Ferran Torres’ introduction injected fresh energy into Barcelona’s attack as they push for a third goal.
With a two-goal lead, Barcelona control the flow of the game. For the home side, Jefte proves to be their most dangerous attacking threat.
Flick makes three changes: Rashford, Lewandowski, and Bernal come off, while Lopez, Torres, and Casado come on.
After a corner from the left, a precise header from Ronald Araujo extends Barcelona’s lead.
With a different attitude than in the first half, Albacete are looking to level the score, though luck hasn’t been on their side.
The second half is underway, with Barcelona leading Albacete 1-0 thanks to Lamine Yamal’s opener.
In a match with virtually no scoring chances, Barcelona found the breakthrough thanks to a goal from Lamine Yamal.
Following a defensive error from the hosts, Lamine Yamal fired home with his right foot off a clinical assist from De Jong!
Following an accidental blow to the knee from Yamal, Neva has been replaced by Vallejo.
The visitors are looking to break the deadlock through Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal, but they’re lacking depth. It remains all square!
A lackluster start with zero clinical finishing. The biggest talking point thus far? A yellow card for Joao Cancelo following a heavy challenge.
After the first ten minutes of the first half, Barcelona are starting to show up, but without posing any real threat in Albacete’s penalty area.
Albacete and Barcelona have officially kicked off 2026 Copa del Rey quarterfinals!
Both teams are completing their pre-match warm-ups on the field and will soon get ready to kick off this exciting match.
Don’t miss the minute-by-minute action—follow our LiveBlog on Bolavip!
In search of another Copa del Rey upset, Alberto Gonzalez will field the following starting XI to face their opponent: Lizoain, Lorenzo, Moreno, Bernabeu, Neva, Melendez, Villar, Pacheco, Capi, Puertas, Medina.
These are the eleven players selected by Hansi Flick to take the field for this match: Joan Garcia, Cancelo, Araujo, Eric, Martin, Frenkie De Jong, Bernal, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Marcus Rashford, Robert Lewandowski.
One of the key points to highlight is that Raphinha is not playing in this crucial game, as he is dealing with a right adductor overload.
Both teams secured their place in this round through tightly contested matches. Barcelona defeated Racing de Santander 2–0, with a late goal from Yamal sealing the win, while Albacete delivered a major upset by knocking out Real Madrid 3–2 in one of the final plays of the match.
The match will be officiated by Jose Luis Munuera as the main referee, with Antonio Ramon Martinez and Adrian Diaz serving as his assistants. Juan Antonio Manrique will round out the officiating crew as the fourth official.
VAR duties will be handled by Valentin Pizarro, with Daniel Jesus Trujillo serving as AVAR.
This important match will kick off at 3 PM ET. It will take place at Carlos Belmonte Stadium in Albacete, which has a seating capacity of 17,524.
ESPN+ will be the primary option to watch Albacete vs Barcelona in the USA.
Welcome to a new LiveBlog on Bolavip. This time, we’ll be covering the minute-by-minute action of the Albacete vs Barcelona match, a key clash for both teams’ aspirations. The game is part of the 2026 Copa del Rey quarterfinals.