Barcelona into Copa del Rey final with win over Sevilla
MADRID: Barcelona needed extra-time to reach the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday, with a 3-2 aggregate win over Sevilla coming just two days after a police raid on the club and the arrest of their former president.
Having trailed 2-0 from the first leg, Danish international Martin Braithwaite hit the crucial goal in the fifth minute of extra-time with a diving header off a Jordi Alba cross.
Gerard Pique had equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time with virtually the last play of the game to save Barca.
The veteran international headed in at the near post after a fine cross from Antoine Griezmann.
That was after Ousmane Dembele, who scored in the 2-0 win at Sevilla in La Liga at the weekend, had given the 30-time Spanish Cup winners a 12thminute lead in the second leg with a right-foot drive from outside the area.
Sevilla could have killed the game off in the 73rd minute to deny Barca their place in the final for a 42nd time.
They were awarded a penalty when Lucas Ocampos was brought down by Oscar Mingueza.
However, Ocampos saw his tame right-foot effort from the spot saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Flagging Sevilla were then reduced to 10 men in injury time when Brazilian Fernando was red-carded for a foul on Francisco Trincao.
“The team deserved to qualify,” said Barca coach Ronald Koeman.
“For their work and honesty. We are more aggressive, we’ve always created chances, the team has improved enormously.
“This is a very important result for the club, for the players, and for me of course as well. This is an important step in earning a title.”
It was a much-needed win for Barcelona after former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, current chief executive Oscar Grau, head of legal services Roma Gomez Ponti and Bartomeu’s advisor Jaume Masferrer were arrested by Catalan police, who searched the club’s offices on Monday morning.
They were all questioned in relation to last year’s “Barcagate” scandal.
The club holds its presidential elections later this week.