Barcelona needs extra time to advance past Intercity in Copa

Barcelona advanced to the last-16 of the Spanish Cup, but only after Oriol Soldevila, a 21-year-old previously in the development squad for Birmingham City, scored a hat-trick to take the game into extra time.

CF Intercity, a team from Alicante playing in Spain’s third tier, was not expected to pose much of a threat to Barcelona, which is currently top of La Liga and filled with international players.

However, Soldevila had a standout game and scored three goals against his former club, where he played as an under-18 before moving to England.

The game started well for Barcelona when, after almost 100 days out with injury, Ronald Araujo scored within four minutes of his return. Despite this early lead, Barcelona struggled to secure a second goal and Ferran Torres missed several chances.

Soldevila then scored for Intercity, equalizing the game at 1-1. Barcelona regained the lead with a goal from Raphinha, but Soldevila scored again to tie the game at 2-2.

In extra time, Ansu Fati scored for Barcelona 4-3, which ultimately secured the team’s victory over Intercity. Despite the win, Barcelona’s defensive lapses will likely be analyzed in the coming days.