Barça glory in pulsating Granada goal glut
THE COPA del Rey is doing its best to provide us with plenty of entertainment this year. As well as still having last season’s final to play, there’s been upsets and plenty of goals in this season’s competition as well. Despite already having seen the likes of Real Madrid and Atlético humbled by lower league opposition in the earlier rounds, the game that took place on Wednesday evening at Granada’s compact Nuevo Los Cármenes will take some beating for edge of the seat thrills and spills.
The Andalucian club are having a remarkable season by almost any measure, after last season’s performances took them into Europe, they have progressed through the perilous group stage of the Europa League and, when European football resumes on February 18, will be in the knockout phases of the competition facing up to a challenge from Serie A’s Napoli. On top of that, their performances in LaLiga have placed them in a comfortable mid-table position. It looked like the ideal hors d'oeuvre to set up a main course of a sustained run in the Copa del Rey and, after struggling to an extra-time win over Cultural Leonesa, success against first Málaga, and then a six-goal demolition of third tier Navalcarnero, who had eliminated Eibar in the previous round, took Diego Martínez’s team into a last eight encounter with Barcelona.
The 'Blaugrana' have endured a traumatic season, wherein the term ‘roller-coaster’ hardly does the turmoil at the Camp Nou justice. Financial nightmares, changing coaches mid-season, erratic form and the threatened loss of iconic star Messi in the simmer, have all worked to frustrate the Cules. After overhauling Real Madrid thanks to the results in the previous Matchday however, Barcelona have climbed to third place in LaLiga on the back of five successive victories, albeit they still trail Atléti by 10 points, and having played a game more. A Champions League Round of 16 match up with PSG looks a daunting prospect so, with Real Madrid and Atléti both eliminated, the Copa del Rey offered the club its best hope of silverware.
All of this meant that the teams facing each other at kick-off harboured realistic aspirations of progress and then on to glory. It’s questionable however whether either could have foreseen what was about to happen in a game with extra-time, eight goals, 36 attempts on goal from Barcelona – of which no less than 20 were on target - five yellow cards and no less than 11 substitutions.
Lionel Messi and Granada’s Yan Brice Eteki had already been shown the first of those yellow cards, and home goalkeeper Aaron Escandell had pulled off a couple of outstanding saves, when the scoring began. Deploying their usual tactic of trying to play out from the back, Barcelona was compromised as Alberto Soro plundered possession out wide and raced into the area. Chelsea’s Brazilian midfield player Kenedy joined Los Nazaríes on loan this season, and he was on hand to tap the ball home when the cross came. Barcelona had dominated much of the play in the first period but, with Escandell in inspired form, their efforts came to nought and the firsthalf ended with Kenedy’s strike separating the teams. The second-half would deliver much more thrills.
Just 90 seconds after the restart, another Barça error saw them concede again. Starting the second period in determined fashion they pinned Granada back but, when a misplaced pass allowed Angel Montoro to play a long pass up field, the visitors’ back line – such as it was – was exposed. Roberto Soldado raced clear of a trailing Samuel Umtiti calmly finding the bottom corner of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s net. It was the sort of goal that deserved the acclaim of a full stadium, but Soldado had to make do with the celebration of team-mates and Granada staff – plus the many watching on television.
The goal served to persuade Granada that their best policy now was to defend their lead and they sank back into defence as Barcelona pressed forward in waves. The game became very much a matter of ‘attack vs defence’ as the statistics illustrate. Across the piece, Barcelona enjoyed 79% of possession, were awarded 18 corners, whilst Granada had none and struck those 20 shots requiring action from Escandell. It was siege time.
Just past the hour mark, a fierce shot from Trincao deceived the goalkeeper but struck the bar and bounced clear. Inside the last 10 minutes an acrobatic overhead kick from Antoine Griezmann produced a flying save from Escandell to tip the ball over the bar. Barcelona had the pressure and the shots, but a goal remained elusive.
A minute later, centre-back Ronald Araujo, up supporting the attack drew a plunging block from the goalkeeper, but the goal remained intact. There were just three minutes to play when a Ousmane Dembélé shot struck the woodwork but, by now, Granada were surely safe. As Brian Clough once said though, “It only takes a second to score a goal,” and Ronald Koeman’s players refused to be denied.
With just over two minutes to play a long ball from Messi found Griezmann sprinting in to collect. Receiving the ball at a ridiculously acute angle, however, all he could do was hook it towards the welcoming arms of Escandell. After all his heroics though, the goalkeeper chose that moment to blot his copybook and fumbled the ball into the net after it struck the post. Barcelona had a lifeline.
Incredibly, there was still time for Messi to strike a shot against the post before another long Messi pass found Griezmann in a similar position again. This time though he had support, and his headed cross was nodded home by Jordi Alba. The clock said that two minutes of the allotted four of injury time had been played out. After the highest of dramas to square matters, extra-time would be required.
Ten minutes into the first period, it was Griezmann heading home to complete the turnaround – well, it seemed like it at the time, but there was more drama to come. Granada, after playing for so long on the back foot, were now compelled to go forward. It took just three minutes from falling behind for them to draw level again. A clumsy tackle by substitute Sergino Dest on Carlos Neva allowed Fede Vico to send Ter Stegen the wrong way from 12 yards and it was level at 3-3.
From there, it was a battle of wills as much as skills. With a dozen minutes to play Frenkie de Jong scored, netting the rebound, after Escandell could only parry Messi’s shot. With Granada forced to come forward again now, it became like a basketball game with both teams frantically seeking the next crucial goal. It came for Barça with six minutes to play as Alba crashed home his second goal with a ferocious volley from Griezmann’s pass.
When referee José María Sánchez Martínez blew for full-time, two teams exhausted both physically and emotionally trudged from the field. It had been a game of rare quality that, like a kettle had first simmered, heated up, and then reached boiling point at the end. It was quite appropriate. For anyone watching, it was time for a cup of tea!