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The round of 16 of the King’s Cup saw Barcelona, recently crowned Spanish Super Cup champions, take on Real Betis and the team could not have produced a more clinical victory.
Hansi Flick moderately rotated his starting lineup and ensured that most of the key players were removed relatively early in the game, but managed to take home a victory with five goals scored.
Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Jules Kounde, Ferran Torres and Gavi scored for the Catalans who dominated Manuel Pellegrini’s men to the quarter-finals. The only consolation for the rivals was a late penalty from Vítor Roque.
Barça Universal brings you the evaluations of the Barcelona 5-1 Real Betis players.
Pena Overlap: 8
The Spanish goalkeeper had no role to play in the first 45 minutes of the match, as Betis barely touched the ball in the Barcelona area.
He was forced into overtime action after the first half and made an outrageous save to maintain the team’s 2-0 lead.
Beyond his shot stops, Peña showed great improvement in his exits from the area and in his ball play.
Gerard Martin: 7
A neutral performance from the substitute left back who came on as a substitute for Alejandro Balde that night.
Martin covered a lot of ground on the left, ran regularly down the left and was reasonable with his distribution.
Pau Cubarsi: 8
The teenage defender put in a sensational performance against Real Betis, displaying elite skills on the ball without compromising his defensive quality in the slightest.
He made some impressive interceptions to deny the visitors in the second.
Ronald Araujo: 8
The captain made his first great start to the season against Real Betis and looked brilliant in all facets of his game.
He showed no signs of rust, kicked the ball with authority and precision and defended in his characteristic no-nonsense style, giving the visitors little or no hope in attack.
Jules Koundé: 9
The Frenchman was a bit special last night at Montjuic, as he formed a significant threat down the right alongside Yamal.
He teamed up with the youngster to score an audacious volley for Barcelona’s second and then produced another audacious finish in the dying seconds of the first half. Unfortunately, the second goal was disallowed for a slight offside.
Conceded a penalty for a minor foul late in the game.
Peter: 8.5
Pedri seemed very comfortable on the ball and adapted well to the pivot role even without Marc Casado. He took on more defensive responsibility and stayed deep, but managed to orchestrate the game and pass balls through Real Betis’ lines.
Frenkie de Jong: 7.5
The Dutchman started against Real Betis and was quite decent in midfield.
He completed the double pivot alongside Pedri and also moderated his positioning, staying deep to avoid counterattacks.
He was precise with his distribution and didn’t produce anything too flashy in terms of his passing.
Gavi: 9
Playing as a third midfielder, Gavi had more attacking freedom and enjoyed his role on the pitch with Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal nearby.
He was an integral part of Barcelona’s play in the box with his one-touch passing and made intelligent runs in behind the defence.
He scored the team’s first goal just in the 3rd minute with a nice touch and finished past the goalkeeper.
Dani Olmo: 9
Playing Olmo as a false nine was Flick’s biggest tactical adjustment that night and it worked like a charm, to the point that the coach could well choose to implement it more regularly.
Olmo’s central position made him a technical replacement for Robert Lewandowski, but he stayed outside the box and helped in the build-up to draw in defenders and open up space in the box.
It was exactly that way that he provided the assist for Gavi’s first goal. He got a second assist for Ferran Torres’ goal in the 66th minute with a nice ball over the top.
Yamal sheet: 9.5
A very positive match even by Yamal’s astronomical standards, as he started on the right and created a threat every time he had the ball. He didn’t involve too much in the construction, but produced magic when needed.
He unfairly had a goal disallowed in the second half for a pass that occurred 21 seconds before his goal and he hit back instantly, pioneering a run into the Betis area and creating the team’s third goal.
He finally got his goal that night as well with a well-worked shot in the team’s fifth of the game.
Rafinha: 9
The Brazilian had a relatively quiet first half, as he played further from the goal on the left wing for most of it.
He played more centrally in the second half and scored Barcelona’s third goal, taking advantage of a rebound after a shot by Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres: 7.5
He scored the team’s fourth goal with an impressive volley a few minutes after coming on to seal the match and the result beyond any doubt.
